When they do not achieve Grand Slam titles or major wins, fans say Andy Murray is Scottish and Caroline Wozniacki is Polish.
At any other time, like when Wozniacki became the best player in the world, she is DANISH. When Murray is doing well, he is British.
Wozniacki has Polish parents, and Danes can disown her when she is not winning. And that’s the problem with dual nationality - It can be both a blessing and a curse.
But in Wozniakci’s case, neither Danes nor Poles seem to want her right now.
And, after recently firing her Spanish coach Ricardo Sanchez – the man who was supposed to bring her a major title, after just two months the question is where does she go from here?
Back in 2005, when she made her professional debut just eight days after her 15th birthday, people thought she was going be bigger than the William sisters - the next big thing in women tennis.
She made the US open final in 2009, became world number one in October 2010 without a Grand Slam win and hasn’t featured in a Grand Slam final since.
After losing in the quarter final at the Australian Open to Kim Clijsters in January, and losing her position as number one, she fired Sanchez.
Her relationship with her father and coach Piotr, has come under scrutiny.
He was her mentor when she began playing aged seven, but many said he was not a good enough coach and she needed professional help to step up her career.
Yet it seems three was a crowd. Wozniacki herself has said it feels more ‘cosy’ not to have too many people around her.
But it’s time for the hiring and firing to stop and the winning to begin. Wozniacki needs to show the world there was a reason why she became number one. She needs to show the desire to get back there again.
She needs to wake up and realize that she is idling. And her father needs to realise she has now grown up.
As Sanchez said after he was fired:: “It is impossible to be part of a system with two coaches and Caroline only got confused.”
He is so right! Since Wozniacki turned pro, her father has always been there and still makes all her decisions as if she is still a 14-year-old. Both player and father/coach need to move on.
Her most recent tournament was a disaster. She lost in the second round in Qatar to the unseeded Lucie Safarova from Czech Republic.
She said afterwards the defeat that she just needed to fight better in the next match. But she has said that for over a year now. When will it happen? She needs to wake up, and not just watch her world ranking fall.
She should do something drastic and hire a new trainer. She needs a better coach than her father!
Many of the top 10 women tennis players have had their father as coach, but not after achieving a top 10 on the world ranking. Wozniacki you should learn from them.
She cannot remain world number one without winning a Grand Slam.
In 2008, at the Beijing Olympics, she said: “I will be the world’s best female tennis player.”
She complains about negativity from fans and tennis critics, but she has brought it upon herself. She needs a Grand Slam, but is she willing to make the sacrifices necessary?
Coming from a high-profile family where her father used to play professional football, and a brother currently playing in the Danish league, she should know about media attention.
She may not be the Danish tennis darling she used to be, but many people in Denmark, including myself, still believe in her.
She can and will do it. The question is – when?
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