Former world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki has set out her 2016 intentions as she bids to grab her maiden Grand Slam title.
The Danish player will be hoping to get back to the top of her game next year after a below-par end to her 2015 season. This year Wozniacki has won one WTA title in Kuala Lumpur as well as also reaching the final in Auckland and Stuttgart. Despite the trio of successful results, the Danish player has struggled at times with consistency on the tour. This issue has resulted in the 25-year-old finishing her year outside the top 10 for the first time since 2008 at 17th in the world.
The first test in 2016 for Wozniacki will be the ASB Classic in New Zealand where she will be the third seed. This year she reached the final at the tournament before losing in three sets to Venus Williams. The 25-year-old will be one of three top 20 players playing in the tournament. The other two are defending champion Williams and Ana Ivanovic. During a recent interview with The New Zealand Herald, Wozniacki praised the tournament.
“The tournament in Auckland is a great tournament and I couldn’t see me playing in any other tournament to start the year with”. She said.
“The tournament itself, the crowd, people in general and of course the beautiful nature New Zealand has to offer.”
During the interview the Dane also spoke about chasing after her first Grand Slam title. Wozniacki has spent 67 weeks as world No.1 but has never been able to grab any of the four major titles. Her best performance was a two-time runner up at the US Open (2009 and 2014). Now at 17th in the world, Wozniacki could encounter tougher matches earlier on in Grand Slam tournaments. Nevertheless the former world No.1 still has big goals for next year.
“My goal is for this season to win one or more Grand Slams and get a medal at the Olympics in Rio.” She told the NZ Herald.
The comments come as the world No.17 finalizes her off-season preparations. During the off-season Wozniacki defeated Serena Williams during an exhibition match in Denmark. Speaking about her training, the Dane now appears more confident than ever.
“I have had a great off-season so I feel I’m on the top of my game”. The former world No.1 said.
“In this form I can beat anybody so if I play to my best during the tournament I will be holding the trophy in the end of the week.”
