Caroline Wozniacki – Press Conference
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. Pretty tough to have a two-week trip to the Middle East and have nothing to show for it.
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Yeah, it sucks, if we’re being honest. I prepared, I’ve gotten ready to play these two weeks, and two weeks I usually play well in. It’s two hard court tournaments. They fit my game well. It’s good speed for my game.
It sucks. I was hoping that maybe taking a little bit of time to myself and just trying to recover, I was hoping I was going to be ready to play today. I just wasn’t.
I have to be fair to myself, as well. If I can’t even play at a reasonable level, there’s no reason for me to go out there and just, you know, yeah, play one set. I want to go out there and I want to win. Every time I play a match, I think I can beat the opponent, I think I can win the tournament. I don’t feel like that right now.
I’m getting better slowly. I’m just getting over it. But there’s still a ways to go. I’m just taking it day by day. Just have to try to be smart about it.
Q. Not really been a good year for you so far, has it?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: No, it hasn’t been the greatest start, the start that I’d hoped for. In the end of the day, the most important thing is that I’m healthy, I can do everything with my health. After that, tennis comes second. If I’m healthy, I can play well. If I’m not healthy, there’s nothing I can do.
At this point I just need to try and stay healthy. I need to just try to do everything possible so that I can get back to where I want to be.
Q. Was it just like a residual illness, something you picked up before you got to Doha? Or it happened there, and you’ve been playing catch-up since?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, I kind of picked something up at Christmas at home. It was lingering a little bit all the way through Australia. I felt good after that for a couple weeks, I felt great.
I came to Doha. Literally the day of my match, I woke up and I felt terrible. It’s just kind of one of those things. The timing wasn’t great. It’s just one of those things. You can’t do anything about it.
I just have to, yeah, stay positive, try and do everything in my power to get better. Then Indian Wells, Miami is right around the corner, but thankfully not right around the corner. I’m hoping to be 100% for both of those. I’ll just go out there and do my best.
Q. Is it a separate thing like being sick or is it related…
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I just got sick. It’s just a sickness. Obviously when you have RA, my immune system is not working right now on as high a level as normal, so it’s taking me a little bit longer to get over stuff like this. Yeah, it’s just kind of a waiting game. It’s a water, vitamin, food game right now. Just rest and try to do what I’ve been told is best.
Q. When you’re inactive like this…
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: It sucks, especially because I’m here. At least if I’m inactive, I’d like to be in my bed, be able to just, I don’t know, do nothing at home I suppose.
But when I’m here, it’s because I wanted to play. It sucks that I’m in bed or chilling. I see everyone playing and competing. I want to be competing, too.
It definitely makes it hard being here and watching everyone else doing what they do. I’m just kind of hanging around.
