Caroline Wozniacki Becomes Number One Ranked Player
On the day that Caroline Wozniacki won her first WTA Premier mandatory tournament, beating Vera Zvonareva in three sets in the final, Wozniacki also ascended to the top ranking for the first time. Caroline, who turned twenty in July is the twentieth woman
to be ranked Number One. With Serena Williams' announcement that she has reinjured her foot, it appears that Wozniacki will end up with the year-end Number One ranking. The women’s rankings system rewards players who compete a lot and Wozniacki has played 24 tournaments in the past twelve months (Serena Williams who dropped to number two has played 13 tournaments), has a match record of 59-15 in 2010 and has won six titles so far this year and twelve in her career. At the same time, Wozniacki had not faced a top five player in 2010 until she beat Zvonareva today and she is 5-2 against players in the top ten this year.
Reaching Number One is a true milestone for Caroline, but also another slightly awkward moment for women’s tennis since Wozniacki has yet to win a Grand Slam title. In 2009, Caroline reached the U.S. Open final losing to Kim Clijsters and in 2010 her best Grand Slam results were a quarterfinal finish at Roland Garros and the semis at the U.S. Open. Clearly, winning a Grand Slam title is Wozniacki’s next goal. Four other women became Number One without winning a Grand Slam title, i.e. Jelena Jankovic, Dinara Safina, Amelie Mauremso and Kim Clijsters. Mauresmo and Clijsters subsequently won two Grand Slam titles. The pressure will be on Wozniacki in 2011 to win a Grand Slam, but she has slowly been improving her game, adding a bit more aggression to a steady, solid foundation. There are many talented power players in women’s tennis, e.g. Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, Kim Clijsters, but injuries and confidence, or lack of it, may also impact the results in 2011. Stay tuned…
Reaching Number One is a true milestone for Caroline, but also another slightly awkward moment for women’s tennis since Wozniacki has yet to win a Grand Slam title. In 2009, Caroline reached the U.S. Open final losing to Kim Clijsters and in 2010 her best Grand Slam results were a quarterfinal finish at Roland Garros and the semis at the U.S. Open. Clearly, winning a Grand Slam title is Wozniacki’s next goal. Four other women became Number One without winning a Grand Slam title, i.e. Jelena Jankovic, Dinara Safina, Amelie Mauremso and Kim Clijsters. Mauresmo and Clijsters subsequently won two Grand Slam titles. The pressure will be on Wozniacki in 2011 to win a Grand Slam, but she has slowly been improving her game, adding a bit more aggression to a steady, solid foundation. There are many talented power players in women’s tennis, e.g. Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, Kim Clijsters, but injuries and confidence, or lack of it, may also impact the results in 2011. Stay tuned…
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