August 25, 2009
NEW HAVEN, Connnecticut—On Tuesday evening, 19-year-old Caroline Wozniacki defeated Edina Gallovits at the Pilot Pen tennis tournament, handing her a double bagel (6-0, 6-0). And Wozniacki didn’t waste any time. She finished the match in just 43 minutes.
“I’ve been working hard,” says Caroline. “The last three tournaments I played, I’ve had some really tough matches, but I just needed the consistency that I’ve had earlier in the year, and I’m so happy that I could keep my level up for the whole match.”
It was just one year ago that the current world No. 8 burst onto the tennis scene, capturing her first ever Sony Ericsson WTA tour title in New Haven. Since then, she has earned five WTA career titles, and could potentially win her 6th by the end of this week.
Despite all the hard work, Caroline has admitted to being bored with her off-court training routine. Just after Wimbledon, a professional boxing friend (Michael Kessler), suggested that she give boxing a try. She took a chance, hired a boxing coach, and started swinging.
That decision has proven to be a good one. Caroline says that boxing has helped her to become a better tennis player. “It’s not only the boxing training,” she says. “You do at least 40 min. on the treadmill before, and you run a lot, and strengthen your stomach, your back, your shoulders, your arms…all the things that you also need in tennis.”
Caroline stresses that she’s “not the hitting kind of person” and laughed when someone asked if she tries to picture a particular player when she boxes. “It’s fun to get some aggression out sometimes,” she says, “but I prefer hitting the balls.”
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