Good things apparently do come to those who wait and finally, after experiencing just about every other high and low that tennis can produce, Caroline Wozniacki is at last a Grand Slam singles champion. After two crushing disappointments in US Open finals, first nine years ago and then again in 2014, the perpetually smiling Dane, who many insisted was simply too nice and gregarious to become a hard-hearted major winner, has attained her own personal tennis ambition. And to do it, Wozniacki had to inflict crushing disappointment on Simona Halep, who also was hoping it would be third time lucky in a Grand Slam final. Yet after seeing two potential French Open titles slip through her fingers in 2014 and again last year, the little Romanian must regroup and head again for Paris in the spring time in the hope her luck will finally change.
In a contest that was a credit to both women’s tennis and the traditional year-opening major, Wozniacki won 7-6 3-6 6-4 after two hours and 49 minutes of fluctuating tennis in which both players snatched momentum and then lost their grip. Finally it was Wozniacki who summoned up the necessary willpower and extra reserves of stamina to secure the winner’s prize that not only earned her the AUS$4m (£2,295,000) winner’s cheque but also snatched back the WTA world No 1 ranking from Halep that she last held exactly six years ago.
However this was not a match where money or ranking points truly mattered to either player. It was all about proving they were good enough to join that elite band of Grand Slam champions because the fact their relative trophy cases were devoid of a major trophy was something that, by their own admission, had played on their minds to the extent they had lost sleep worrying about the fact.
After being presented with the trophy by Billie Jean King, Wozniacki cuddled and kissed the historic piece of silverware and apologised to the crowd, insisting: “I’m sorry, I’m just taking a second here to hug Daphne.” The trophy, if anyone is in doubt, was named in honour of the Australian champion Daphne Akhurst, who won the Australian Championships five times between 1925 and 1930. “I’ve dreamt of this moment for so many years and to be here today is a dream come true. My voice is shaky. I never cry, but today it’s a very emotional moment.’’
Wozniacki is undeniably a better, more complete player than when she topped the world rankings but lost out in those two US Open finals to first Kim Clijsters and then her close friend Serena Williams. She has worked at developing a more forceful serve and ensured that her ground strokes possess more pace and control to work in tandem with her tireless ability to cover just about every inch of the court and run down so many of her opponents’ attempts at clean winners.
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Winning the WTA Finals in Singapore at the end of last year underlined the fact that Wozniacki was ready again to contend for the very big titles and although she was forced to save two match points in the second round against 119th-ranked Jana Fett, she has appeared to get stronger with each round that followed.
With a couple of games of the final set remaining on an excruciatingly humid evening where the on-court temperature was still way in excess on 85 degrees Fahrenheit, it was still unclear who would snare the title.
Both players had to summon WTA healthcare manager Laura Chimimba onto court to help them with ailments. Halep had her blood pressure taken after admitting to feeling dizzy on court while suffering from a nagging headache.
Then, midway through the final set, Wozniacki required treatment to her left knee and the three minutes long medical timeout was sufficient to disrupt Halep’s rhythm after she had taken the lead in the match for the first time. “Maybe I lost a little bit of momentum because I had come back from 1-3 down and was 4-3 up,” she said.
A bandaged Wozniacki first broke the Halep serve, then held reasonably confidently to 30 before exerting more pressure and moving to match point after unleashing a superbly-executed backhand crosscourt shot. Halep was physically spent and when she slammed the final backhand into the net Wozniacki collapsed to the court surface in almost disbelief and arose a few seconds later with emotional tears streaming down her face. It was a world away from Wozniacki’s dismal exit from the Australian Open a year ago when she could only win four games against Britain’s Johanna Konta in the third round but finally she has got the prize she craved for so long.