Rafael Nadal and Caroline Wozniacki advanced to the third round at the Australian Open. USA TODAY Sports
MELBOURNE — If Caroline Wozniacki is known for one particular trait it’s that no matter what adversity she’s facing she never gives up the fight. She believes that penchant for perseverance is a necessary survival tactic learned from being a member of the competitive Wozniacki family.
“If you lose a game to anyone in my family, you’re going to hear about it for at least a week,” she said, smiling. “That definitely helped me.”
That talent certainly served the second-seeded Dane well on Wednesday when she was down 5-1 and facing two match points in her second-round match at the Australian Open.
The 119th-ranked Jana Fett, the Croatian player daring to challenge the former No. 1, was playing remarkable tennis, especially considering this was her first Grand Slam main draw. To add to the suspense, Fett had only once beaten a top-20 opponent, the then 15th-ranked Kristina Mladenovic of France at the 2017 Tokyo tournament.
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To all who were watching the match unfold, it appeared that Wozniacki would soon be booking her flight home. But she survived those two match points — at 40-15 and 40-30 in the seventh game — when a nervous Fett squelched the dream upset with back-to-back backhand errors.
And just like that the comeback was on. Wozniacki would win 3-6, 6-2, 7-5.
“I was thinking at that point she still has to win four more balls to win this match, and don’t make it easy for her,” Wozniacki said. “At 5-1, 40-15, I felt like I was one foot out of the tournament … then I felt her tighten up just slightly. I thought to myself, ‘You know what, at this point, make her win it, don’t give it to her.
“When I managed to win it to 5-2, I said, ‘OK, I’m still alive.”
The great escape executed in incredible fashion — Wozniacki won 24 of the final 31 points in stringing together six straight games for the victory — there was time to discuss an even more personal topic.
What could be more exciting to talk about than an on-court recovery from 5-1? For Caroline Wozniacki the answer to that question revolves around love, engagement and pending marriage.
After winning the most prestigious title of her career at the year-end WTA Finals in Singapore last October, Wozniacki began her off-season on a Bora, Bora, French Polynesian vacation with boyfriend, former NBA player David Lee.
It was at that exotic locale where Lee, who was in the stands watching on Wednesday, popped the question to Wozniacki. He enhanced the moment by placing a dazzling oval diamond on her ring finger.
Wozniacki announced their engagement on social media: “Happiest day of my life yesterday saying yes to my soulmate.” Lee posted a “She said yes” note as well.
“All I'll say is it was a surprise,” said Wozniacki, of the engagement. “It was amazing. Very happy. It was great. Everything went really well. Had the best off-season. We had a great time traveling a little bit, exploring some new places. Yeah, it's been a lot of fun.
“I was really recharged when I finally got back on the court again,” she added. “I was ready to practice and prepare for here.”
An Australian Open semifinalist in 2011, Wozniacki is in contention to return to the No. 1 ranking for the first time since January 2012. She will have to reach the semifinal to possibly occupy the top spot again following this Grand Slam.
Wozniacki ended the 2017 season by winning the year-end WTA Finals trophy, the biggest title of the 27 she’s claimed in her career. She also defended her Tokyo title, and journeyed to six additional finals last year.
As for this season, she started it by reaching the Auckland final last week.
Experience, as in coming through a previous broken engagement to golfer Rory McIlroy, has taught Wozniacki that finding off-court fulfillment translates to a positive on-court outlook.
“For me, feeling happy, content off the court, everything is going great, helps me play better on the court,” she said. “I don't have any worries. I just kind of do my thing. All I think about is the yellow ball, the net, and the lines. It just makes everything much simpler.
“It's great to know I have that amazing support,” she said. “It makes a huge difference to me.”
Needless to say, Wozniacki has a little bit of wedding on her mind even while managing to focus on her tennis. Although the couple hasn’t yet announced the date, she admits to already collecting ideas for the celebration.
In November, she had occasion to take notes when she attended the wedding of good friend, Serena Williams, to Alexis Ohanian in New Orleans.
“Yeah, definitely.” she said, when asked if Williams’ wedding served as a research outing. “I think once you're engaged, you start looking at things. You're like, ‘Oh, I really like that, we'll steal that inspiration for our own wedding.’
“We had a great time,” she added. “Had a lot of fun. She (Williams) looked beautiful. Little Olympia (Williams’ infant daughter) was beautiful, too. Really a special moment.”
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