Australian Open:”Sweet Caroline”: Wozniacki and her luck called Daphne

Caroline Wozniacki shone with her Daphne at the official photo shoot. After winning her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, the Dane was full of happiness.

From Ulrike Weinrich from Melbourne

Queen Caro of Melbourne “sat in her sky-blue dress in a gondola with the appropriate name Victoria and was overjoyed on the Ornamental Lake in the Botanical Gardens at temperatures of 35 degrees Celsius. Observed from the camera lenses of the world press.

A champion in his element, at last, after years of waiting, rewards the same always the same boring questions. After severe setbacks – on and off the court. After a memorable comeback that was crowned with a double reward: the first major title and the leap back to the tennis throne after almost exactly six years.

“Her Daphne”, as Wozniacki called the handsome Henkel winner’s trophy, almost always held the 27-year-old woman tightly wrapped around her on this sunny Sunday:”I will be cuddling with her all night, she is so beautiful. And what she stands for is what makes Daphne so special,”the Dane had said the night before after the 7:6 (7:2), 3:6,6:4 in the highly exciting final of the Happy Slam against top seeded Simona Halep (Romania).

Wozniacki had reached her final destination at the Rod Laver Arena on this sultry Australian summer evening. Of course, the song “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond was played after the award ceremony. The Herald Sun headlined the next day:”The long wait has come to an end. The Age wrote of the Monegasin’s “breakthrough”:”Finally”.

Wozniacki himself made no secret of the fact that she particularly appreciated one thing about her debut coup Down Under:”I’ll never get this one question asked again”, said “Caro”, after having had to justify not having won a Grand Slam event as the number one in her career. But because she has been a burned-up kid for over twelve years on the tour, she added with a smile:”I’m waiting for the question: When will you win your second major,”Wozniacki called the journalists at the press conference – and a little later he took a big sip of champagne.”Skal!”

Her father Piotr and her fiancé David Lee had already toasted with red wine in the catacombs at that time. Wozniacki was aware of the value of her men’s combo even in the hours of her greatest success to date,”Daddy, you always believed in me. Even when I started playing tennis at the age of seven – thank you,”she said in the direction of the former professional footballer, who once also kicked for Waldhof Mannheim. She gave her manager Julien Cassaigne a special assignment in front of an audience of millions. He is supposed to put the hobby model, who fought off two match points on the cover of the cult magazine “Elle” on his way to the Melbourne final. Shouldn’t be a problem!

David Lee (34), a former world-class basketball player who played for the Golden State Warriors and the San Antonio Spurs among others, is also of decisive importance,”He can give me valuable tips because he was a professional athlete himself. Sometimes he says something and I think:”That’s right, I haven’t even thought about it,” Wozniacki told us in the days of the Happy Slam about the two-time NBA AllStar, who proposed to her on Bora Bora Bora during her vacation in November 2017:”David is always positive, that helps me. Even before the final, when I was very nervous.”

The pictures of the sad Wozniacki, who wanted to marry the golf star Rory McIlroy in 2014, are still well remembered. The invitations were sent out, the New York location was booked for the party lasting several days, but the Nordire ended the relationship abruptly in a seven-minute telephone conversation with Wozniacki. In this crisis, Serena Williams of all people jumped to her side, distracting her girlfriend with joint excursions and a popcorn binge. Wozniacki ran away from the heartbreak and completed the New York Marathon in an impressive 3:26 hours. The Australian Open final on Saturday called her “emotionally harder” than the 42.195 kilometres through the Big Apple.

In contrast to Williams, Wozniacki is not yet involved in family planning:”I want to have children later on, but at the moment this is not an issue”. And the enjoyment factor is high after the 27-year-old had even fallen to 74th place in the meantime due to various injuries (knee, shoulder, ankle). Before the US Open in August 2016, she admitted,”At this time you think about a lot of things. Certainly also about a possible resignation. But one such as Wozniacki, who was 19 years old when she first entered a major final, fights.

And at the end of the day, the new and old industry leader had a tip for Jürgen Klopp. Wozniacki is an ardent fan of Liverpool FC. The Reds are still waiting for their first championship in the Premier League,”Nothing is impossible, I have to say so,”she said, sending the message to coach Klopp’s team. Queen Caro of Melbourne has spoken!