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WUHAN OPEN


September 23, 2018


Caroline Wozniacki


Wuhan, Hubei, China

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Can you give us a little bit of an update after the US Open of how you spent the time getting ready for the Asian swing in terms of how much time did the racquet stay down, how much training did you do?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I took a little bit of time off just getting the body where I want it to be, then just started practicing. I'm not sure how much I took off. I took maybe five, six days off, then I went back at it.

But, yeah, it's just a process all the time. It's good to be back and playing matches.

Q. Speaking of the body, how do you feel going into this section of the season physically?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I feel good. It's the end of the season. I think everyone is kind of tired. I'm excited that it's nearing the end, that we can hopefully finish it off strong, then go on vacation after that.

Q. Can you talk about the physical and mental challenge of this part of the season. You've had success during this part of the season before. How do you get yourself pumped for this part? How tricky is it?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I think you just have to kind of try to find a goal, whether it's trying to win the tournament, whether it's qualifying for the year-end championships, whatever you may think. You just have to really stay focused on the task. That's really it.

You may as well win, right? Otherwise you're just sitting around. If you win, then you have a lot of things happening, things going on. I think that's my main motivation.

Q. Is this part of the season easier now that you are a Grand Slam champion? Do you have peace in your mind?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I don't know that it's easier. I'm not sure. I think it doesn't really change. I think this part of the season, the US Open, the last slam, you just kind of have to refocus and, yeah, reassess, just put your head down and keep working.

There's not many tournaments left, but it's big tournaments. You want to do well.

Q. I know the season is not over yet, but a lot has happened for you this season. If you would use just a word or two to describe the story of your season, what would it be?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I think it's hard to just put it into one or two words.

But I think winning my first Grand Slam was something magical, something really awesome. I'm very proud of that. I definitely would have taken that over anything else.

Q. Garcia was in her earlier and said what she did in the fall didn't feel that far away, felt like she was here yesterday. Now that we're nine months on from January, does that seem that far away, do you see it in the rearview mirror, or is it still part of kind of how you're feeling these days, that it just happened yesterday?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: To be honest, I think you kind of forget quickly. I think you move on, you just keep playing. There's tournaments week in and week out. You still have to work out, be on the court, do all these things.

I think while you're at it, it seems far away, even when it's only, let's say, one, two, three months ago. Sometimes you take a breather, you really look back, you realize it's not long ago, that you just have to really enjoy the moment.

You have to enjoy the achievements and the hard work, everything that kind of goes into it. There will be ups and downs, there will be challenges for sure. But I think having done everything, getting to No. 1, winning a slam, knowing you can get there, be there, I think that's enough motivation in itself.

Q. Was there a moment where you said, I'm going to let myself sink into it, reflect on everything once the season is over? Have you had the time to let it sink in?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I think this time around I've let myself enjoy the moment more, enjoy the achievement, especially like right around that time.

But then at the same time, at this point I think you're really just trying to finish off the season strong and qualify for Singapore. After the season I think you can kind of relax, reflect and enjoy.

Q. Serena in the US Open final raised an issue that a lot of people are talking about. Have you ever felt that umpires do not treat you the same way they would have treated a man?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Uhm, you know, I never really thought about it till that happened because to me, I'm so focused on just myself and our tour. I never really tried to compare us to the men.

But, you know, I think she has a point. I think she has a point in some of what she's saying. I think everyone has the right to their own opinion.

I think that when you're going into a Grand Slam final, you're fighting for your 24th slam, you're fighting to be on paper, you know, the best player to ever have played the game - in my opinion, I think she already is - I think there will be emotions involved. I think there will be some feelings there when you go onto the court.

If someone knows Serena, if someone has followed her career, she never gets coaching, and she never asks for the coach on court.

I think as a umpire, as a great umpire, you obviously have to be a good umpire to be in the finals, you should also be aware that this is the situation. I think you should be aware that Serena is not one of those people that really looks up to the box or communicates with the box. That's really what I can say in this situation.

In my opinion, I'm sure a lot of people have different opinions, but in my opinion I think that in the situation he probably should have given her a soft warning, and if he felt this is the way it was, said that your team is making signs, you need to make them stop. That's, in my opinion, the way that the umpires usually do it.

I'm sorry this is very long.

If you were to be strict on this and say, Any signs, anything, then you should have taken both players and the coaches before the match and said, Hey, I'm really strict today. I tolerate nothing. It's the way it is. That's also okay.

I think there should be some strict rules, and I think those rules are kind of a gray zone. I think every match should be the same.

Q. Your thoughts on Naomi's win, the way she won the US Open, the way she just blasted through the draw, and the fact she also made the final in Tokyo right after?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Did she win in Tokyo?

Q. She lost in the finals.
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: She obviously was playing some great tennis. To be honest, I wasn't watching much of the women's tennis once I was out. Obviously she must have played some great tennis to reach all the way. I saw her playing in the finals. She played really great.

I think she really showed a high level of tennis. She deserved to win.

Q. Back to the US Open. Is there anything the WTA can do to get more consistency on these violations, the coaching violations? The men and women, there might be differences, yes or no, it's hard to work it out. What do you think the WTA can do?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I don't know. I think there should just be maybe some clear rules. Either it's allowed or it's not allowed. If it's not allowed, then it should be very strict. If it's allowed, we are allowed coaching on the court, it's allowed to have a little bit of encouragement or whatever, then it's allowed.

I just think either way there should be some more clearer guidelines. That's really it. I think in general the umpires are very good with that.

Q. In terms of you mentioned the gray zone with respect to umpiring sometimes. Some commentators and fans that I talk to like that in tennis, they kind of like that the umpire has the ability to control and make judgment calls in a match as to codes and things, and some don't. Some say consistency and being rigid is more fair because everybody knows the line. Is there one way you prefer it? Do you prefer it more subjective or...
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I think as a player you just kind of want to know. If you get a soft warning before, even if you think there's nothing going on and you get a soft warning, at least you're aware of it. That's fair.

But, you know, I think sometimes the player feels a different way than the umpire. Sometimes the umpire's right, sometimes the player's right.

At the end of the day I think if you had clearer rules it would just be easier for everyone.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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