Caroline Wozniacki says marriage won't hurt game
Caroline Wozniacki and golfer Rory McIlroy live together already and so, the tennis player says her game won't be affected after marriage.
- Agence France-Presse
- Updated: January 14, 2014 09:24 AM IST
Caroline Wozniacki said on Tuesday she was in a good place in her private and professional life and insisted her forthcoming marriage to golf star Rory McIlroy would not affect her career.
The former world number one is 10th in the rankings and she got her Australian Open campaign off to the perfect start with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Spain's Lourdes Dominguez Lino.
The Dane is still seeking her first Grand Slam title -- her deepest run in a major event being to the 2009 US Open final -- and she said marriage to McIlroy would not detract from her career goals.
"We live together now, so it's not going to really change that much," she said when asked how tying the knot would affect their lives.
"You know, just having that calmness off the court and just, you know, we know what we want, and it just gives us even more time to focus on our careers.
"Obviously we always try and make our schedules fit. We have done that pretty well so far, so I don't see why it's not going to work for another how many years I want to play.
"Because obviously he's going to retire later than me. Golf you can play until you're 50."
Wozniacki became engaged to the two-time golf major winner on New Year's Eve in Sydney and she was sporting her eight carat diamond ring on court.
She had little trouble in dispatching Dominguez Lino and was glad to get back indoors quickly as temperatures reached 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).
"It was a little warm out there today," she said, revealing that she put a bottle down on the court and "it started melting a little bit underneath, the plastic".
"But it was warm for both of us, and it was great that I managed to finish it off in two sets and it wasn't too long," she added.
The 23-year-old won her only title of 2013 at Luxembourg and she has struggled to revisit the highs of 2010 and 2011, when she finished both years as world number one.
But she is determined to find more success, with the Grand Slams her major focus.
"I'm in a very good place in my life right now, on the court and off the court. I know what I want. I want to improve all the time. I want to be the best. You know, I have achieved so much in my career already," she said.
"But at the same time, when I go on court and when I play tournaments I want to win.
"For me right now I try to focus on the Grand Slams. It's tough, it's never easy. You have to win seven matches. There's always going to be some tricky opponents along the way.
"But that's what I'm missing on my resume, so that's obviously what I would like to achieve."