14/02/2012 13:29 CEST - Rassegna internazionale

Wozniacki e McIlroy a gonfie vele (Gulf Times)

Love is very much in the air at the Qatar Ladies Open that got underway at the Khalifa Tennis and Squash Complex yesterday. Caroline Wozniacki walked in for the press conference and guess who was with her?
Rory McIlroy, of course. The Northern Irishman, who finished tied fifth at the Dubai Desert Classic on Sunday, flew straight to Doha to be with his girlfriend just in time for Valentine’s Day.
 

McIlroy, the next big thing in golf after Tiger Woods, and Wozniacki have been an item since last year and this will be their first Valentines’ Day as the hottest couple in sport, whose relationship has been described as a ‘country club couple made in heaven’. Wozniacki is looking for a boost after losing the World No 1 tag to Belorussian Victoria Azarenka at the Australian Open and slipping further down in the ranking to fourth. But she was not letting her personal life get in the way of her tennis.

“Of course, it’s nice that he’s (McIlroy) here, but, you know, once you’re on court, that’s your focus. And off the court it’s nice to have someone there. You can just take your mind off things,” said Wozniacki as she shot a shy glance towards McIlroy, who fondly watched her address the press, from the corner of the room, his shoulder rested against the wall.

“Well, to be honest, when you’re out on the court, you just focus on the ball and on the game you’re going to play. You don’t really think about too much else around,” added Wozniacki. The Dane, who has 18 titles to her name, was of the view that she was still happy with her showing so far in the season and was keen on performing well in Doha. “You know, it’s the start of the season. There’s still so long to go. Hopefully, I can keep improving and keep playing better. Yeah, I’m pretty happy with my performance so far. Of course, a lot of good players are present here.

“It’s not going to be easy. It’s just about focusing on the match you have ahead, and that’s it,” said Wozniacki, who came close to winning a title here in Doha twice before. The No 2 seed revealed that the biggest relief for her after losing her top spot is that she doesn’t have to answer her critics anymore on being the No 1 player without winning a Grand Slam.

“It’s just nice that actually I don’t get the question at every press conference, ‘You’re No. 1 but haven’t won a Grand Slam’. So at least, I get that off my back and I can actually just play and people don’t get disappointed if I lose a finals or semifinals. This, you know, would be a disaster before. Now someone else can have that, and I can just play,” said Wozniacki, who is among the top eight seeds who have been given byes in the first round in Doha.

The 21-yr-old is not only keen to win back her top ranking she lost to Azarenka earlier this year, but she is also hoping to make a mark at the Olympics in London. “I think the Olympics is very big for every player this year.
“It’s only comes every four years, and it’s a special event. It’s somewhere where you really want to try to do your best and hopefully try to get a medal”.