Caroline Wozniacki set her sights on winning her first Grand Slam title on Saturday as she expressed pride at emerging strongly from a difficult year including her break-up with golfer Rory McIlroy.
Wozniacki’s narrow loss to Serena Williams in the WTA Finals semis did not stop her reflecting with pleasure on a season which could have turned sour after her marriage plans fell apart in May.
Instead, Wozniacki has returned to the top 10, won a title for the seventh year in a row and reached the US Open final, before her run to the semi-finals of the season finale in Singapore.
“I think I can be really proud of how I’ve handled everything this year, how I’ve fought back,” the Danish world number eight told reporters.
“You know, I think I’ve proved to myself that I’m a really strong person and that I can keep improving my game. You know, I’m just really happy that I’ve learned so much from this year.
“It’s been a very, very meaningful year for me and very learningful. Can you say that?”
She added: “It’s definitely a year that I’m going to remember back on. You know, I’m still going to smile, because everything happens for a reason. It’s made me who I am today.”
Wozniacki beat French Open champion Maria Sharapova, Agnieszka Radwanska and Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova on her way to the semi-finals, one of the best runs of her career.
Her streak came to an end with a narrow three-sets loss to Williams, who has now beaten her four times this year including in last month’s US Open final.
But Wozniacki said she now felt ready to take the last step by finally winning a Grand Slam tournament, an achievement that has eluded her despite finishing both 2010 and 2011 as world number one.
“I definitely feel that way. I think I’ve been playing some great tennis, I’ve beaten some great players,” she said, adding that her friend and 18-time Slam-winner Williams was still a major hurdle.
“I told Serena, I said, ‘Can you just leave me alone. Like go away from the court. I don’t want to see you on the court. I love you, but stay away from the other side of the court. Quite frankly, I’m tired of losing to you.’
“But, again, she’s a great champion and probably my toughest opponent. I think I lost to her four times in the last three months. I was ready today to make that change, but I told her that I’m coming back next year and I’m going to try again.”
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