©”DAILY TENNIS NEWS WIRE”
Some might call it irresponsible or unprofessional. Caroline Wozniacki arrived in Perth to play at the Hyundai Hopman Cup so late that a change was made in the schedule to accommodate her.
However, her tardy arrival was in a good cause, as she played an exhibition match in Thailand the day before to raise funds for flood relief in the country after the disaster that led to more than 750 dead and 1.5 million homes damaged or destroyed.
It was not surprising that she struggled at first against Bethanie Mattek-Sands, who won the Cup last year with John Isner and this year is partnering Mardy Fish. But from 1-5, the world number one recovered to win 7-6 6-2.
“Yeah, I mean (it was) the first time I’ve done that,” she said of her dash from Thailand. “I was a little bit nervous how my body would feel after the trip. I didn’t even make it back from (to) my hotel – I just went from the airport straight to the practice.
“It actually felt pretty good during practice and then I had a little bit of time because (partner) Frederik (Nielsen) was playing unbelievable against Mardy, then I started to feel a bit tired because you get to settle down a little bit. Once I was out there I didn’t feel it and I didn’t think about – I just kept going.
“I love being here and the crowd is amazing. I’ve watched Hopman Cup on TV so many times so to have the opportunity to play here is just great. I can see there are a lot of Danish people here as well, so that’s fantastic.”
©”DAILY TENNIS NEWS WIRE”