Wozniacki's Sinking Ship

It's been a while now since Caroline Wozniacki last tasted the sweet joy of success. This may seem odd, as what made her the undisputed queen of the WTA tour for the previous two seasons was her consistency, her ability to win match after match and to collect titles. She might not have conquered a Grand Slam, but for a three year span she was the most awarded player, winning 15 tournaments, most of them Premier events. Something started to go wrong mid last year though, early defeats at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon severely hindering her confidence. She still managed to finish 2011 atop of the rankings, but, after a series of uncharacteristic losses in early rounds, the end of her reign became just a matter of time. 

The switch of guards occurred after the Australian Open, when Azarenka rose to number 1 following her first Grand Slam crown. At that stage, the Dane promised to regain her status, but, so far, her performances failed to make an impression. Falling at the first hurdle in Doha, where she lost a tight affair against Czech Lucie Safarova, Caroline appears to be drifting further apart from her rivals. She seems to have lost her ability to break down their game with her 'annoying' determination to return each and every ball, Azarenka, Kvitova or Sharapova overpowering her with their aggressive ground strokes.

In Dubai, where she is defending champion, Wozniacki was in much need of a reassuring result. Seeded three, she poised some good wins on her way to the semifinals, but she fell short once more. Facing an opponent who beat her in their last two encounters, Caroline proved again that she cannot cope with the big hitters, German Julia Goerges whipping her off the court en route to a 7-6,7-5 victory.

Her run of poor form actually coincided with the beginning of her romance with golfer Rory McIlroy and, while she is extremely happy off court, she surely finds no satisfaction on court. Only time will tell if she can change her game and develop some aggressive weapons, but in the meantime, she should better get back to her consistent self soon, especially as Agnieszka Radwanska is threatening to take her place. Relying on a similarly strong defensive game, the Pole has had some pretty impressive results lately, among which the win over her good friend earlier this year in Sydney.

Her next chance to regain some momentum will be at Indian Wells where she is the defending champion, having disposed of Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli in last year's final.

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