Caroline Wozniacki said she wasn’t disappointed by her play in her stunning three-set loss to Ekaterina Makarova, adding that the Russian veteran simply played a better match.
“I think I did everything I could. I fought as hard as I could. I can’t even be mad at myself because I played up to the level that I can,” Wozniacki said. “I think she played above her level and really raised it and got a little lucky and played well when she needed to.
Wozniacki, the No. 2 seed and champion at Eastbourne last week, entered the match as a strong favorite against Makarova, but lost the first set. She faded badly in the third, piling up errors as Makarova hit effective groundstrokes and built a 5-1 lead. Her highly aggressive game began to falter as she lost four straight games and failed to convert four match points, giving Wozniacki a lifeline.
The Australian Open champion, however, fell behind 0-40 in her 5-6 service game and could not recover.
“I played someone who, you know, went all in with every single shot. In the second set, I think that showed to me that that was in my head, how I wanted it to go. Then she started again hitting a lot of lines, a lot of crazy shots that were going in. She was playing well,” Wozniacki said. “At that point, what can you do? You just have to keep fighting, wait for your opportunity. I fought all I had. I just lacked just a little bit today.”
Wozniacki also asserted that she was the victim of an unlucky draw, which forced her to play a former top-10 player in the second round. Makarova, ranked 35th, made the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 2014 and is currently the No. 1 doubles player in the world, but has struggled mightily in singles this season: She entered Wimbledon with just one win since late March and an 0-2 mark on grass.
The Russian’s firm, flat-ball style led her to 45 winners — virtually double Wozniacki’s tally — but 37 unforced errors as well. Wozniacki, for her part, said she felt her game would’ve translated against most players, but not Wednesday’s opponent.
“When I look at the draw, there’s 90 percent of everyone else I would have played today, I feel like I would have won. The last 10 percent I feel like I would have had a chance or a good chance,” she said. “Sometimes it just doesn’t go your way. Sometimes it just doesn’t flash. Things just don’t add up.”
