Wozniacki Preps for Trip to MSG for BNP Paribas Showdown
An evening of tennis will be held Monday, March 5 in New York City at Madison Square Garden with the BNP Paribas Tennis Showdown. This is the fifth year the event will be held at the World’s Most Famous Arena, Madison Square Garden, and the event will kick off with Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova of Russia facing former number one Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark. The second match of the evening will feature world number three-ranked Roger Federer of Switzerland doing battle against world number 19th-ranked Andy Roddick of the United States. Each match will be a best of three sets event.
New York Tennis Magazine recently had a chance to chat with Wozniacki after the 2012 Australian Open as she preps for her showdown at MSG with Sharapova.
"I am really excited to come and play and to play Maria and along with Andy and Roger, I am sure it’s going to be an unbelievable event at Madison Square Garden which is something very special," said Wozniacki. "I have actually never been inside, but I am extremely excited to go and play, and I love New York. I have always played well at the U.S Open, and I am looking forward to going back there and I am sure that it will be great."
Wozniacki’s familiarity with the New York crowds will surely prepare her for the enthusiasm that will fill the 18,000-plus seated arena on March 5.
"I really enjoy it," said Wozniacki of her upcoming MSG experience. "I think that kind of atmosphere is great and it really pumps you up and it is not like playing a tennis match or being at a football match, but I really like that. Although they are very loud and cheerful, they are still very respectful. I really enjoy coming back to New York and I wish I could play at the U.S Open as well. I will come probably three days early and spend some time in the city and enjoy it."
In 2011, Wozniacki played Sharapova in the semifinals of the Italian Open in Rome with Sharapova coming out a 7-5, 6-3 winner.
"She’s a power player," said Wozniacki of her opponent at MSG. "She’s taking the ball early and going for her shots. She’s a tall girl as well so she has a big reach and you know she uses it to her advantage, definitely."
Wozniacki shared a few other thoughts during our chat …
When you approach exhibitions from a mental standpoint, is it more of just playing for fun, or does your competitive spirit still take over?
A bit of everything, you know, I’m very competitive. I hate losing and I think when you practice you need to enjoy it and of course it’s tough. I’m a perfectionist as well so I can get pretty frustrated at practice when things are not going right and I’ll stand out there and keep going until actually I start hitting the ball exactly the way I wanted. I think the best feeling, at least for me, is standing there after you’ve won a match, just adrenaline and everything. It’s a great feeling to be out there after a tough battle and you stand there as the winner in the end. I think that’s what drives me, the winning, and the yeah, just the adrenaline, and you know that you give yourself a 100 percent. It’s a mixture of everything.
What would you want first, to get number one back or your first Grand Slam title?
Probably my first Grand Slam title. I have been number one for, I don’t know, 60 something weeks, and I’ve finished number one two years in a row. So yeah, I’ve done that, and now I would like to win a Grand Slam.
I know you know Novak Djokovic pretty well, he’s a neighbor of yours, can you just talk about the achievement
of playing almost six hours like he did in the finals of the 2012 Australian Open and defeating an opponent like the number two-ranked Rafael Nadal?
It’s unbelievable. Nadal is a fighter and a warrior out there and you know Djokovic is just unbelievable in what he’s done. They also played so many hours the matches before and it’s unbelievable what they can pull out. The level of tennis in the fifth set was so unbelievable even though they played for like 4 hours and 45 minutes until that time. I have big respect for both of them.
A lot of the junior players here in New York want to grow up and be the next Caroline Wozniacki, what
advice would you give to them on how to become a pro player?
Well, there will always be ups and downs and times where you feel you play unbelievable and times you may be losing matches that you thought you would win. There will always be people telling you that you will never become anyone, or you will never be a great player, but the truth is if you believe enough in yourself and if you work hard enough, you know, anything is possible. It’s just about keep fighting out there, and practice hard, and practice a lot of hours. It takes a lot of practice to get to a high level but it’s definitely worth it in the end. It’s a long road ahead, but it’s a fun road as well.
