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Which Caroline Wozniacki will we get on the 2019 WTA Tour?

By Harry Floyd

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 18: Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark serves in her third round match against Maria Sharapova of Russia during day five of the 2019 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 18, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 18: Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark serves in her third round match against Maria Sharapova of Russia during day five of the 2019 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 18, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images) /
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Defending Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki stumbles out of the tournament in the third round, falling to Maria Sharapova.

What’s next for Caroline Wozniacki? The defending champion in women’s singles at the Australian Open is gone. A third round loss to Russian great Maria Sharapova reveals that the Danish tennis star is yet to truly find her rhythm in the early weeks of the year.

Their match was mired in some tension following Wozniacki’s comments on scheduling preferences given to Sharapova during her return to the WTA Tour. The Russian tested positive for the use of a banned substance and ultimately served a 15 month suspension. Controversy or not though, the two have been some of the best players throughout the majority of their careers. It is Sharapova who moves on, winning  6-4, 4-6, 6-3.

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Last year, Wozniacki was on top of the world in the early months. Her win at Melbourne Park put her into elite company. Having already made it to the world number one ranking, she now had a Grand Slam singles title to go with it.

Taking titles in Eastbourne and Beijing, her 2018 WTA Tour looks fantastic at a glance. And, in many ways, it was a dream year. In-between Wozniacki’s groundbreaking efforts though were signs of inconsistency. She needs to shake those off if she hopes to top the rankings in women’s singles yet again.

Wozniacki failed to reach the third round of play in any tournament during the streak between her two WTA singles wins last year. After Eastbourne, the slide began at Wimbledon and went on for six tournaments before she roared back to glory at the China Open. Wozniacki cannot afford to lose momentum in the coming days.

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What is Caroline Wozniacki up against on the 2019 WTA Tour? Everything. Women’s singles is packed with young talent. Read more about some of the MUST WATCH WTA stars today here. On top of that, the Danish tennis great has to go up against the likes of veteran legends like Sharapova, Petra Kvitova, and Angelique Kerber who have all managed to remain relevant, if not play at their very best as in Kerber’s case recently. The road to the top is going to get harder and harder moving forward. Wozniacki must prove that she can stand out from the competition.

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