Caroline Wozniacki had a great year in 2018. A former world No.1, she finally got her maiden grand slam title at the 2018 Australian Open, beating Simona Halep in the final. Wozniacki is known for her consistent shot-making and counter-punching style of tennis. She is fast and has great movement and anticipation round the court, and this allows her to return many shots and put pressure on her opponents. One of her strengths is her defensive play and ability to move her opponents around the court with her consistent cross-court and down-the-line topspin shots.
What you can learn:
1. Serve. Her serve, like her groundstrokes, is very consistent. She hits a nice wide slice serve on the deuce side to take her opponents off the court. Her second serve is good although sometimes it lacks power and is vulnerable to attack. However, it looks like she has been working on hitting her serve a little harder and flatter, swinging a little faster. Consistency is key on the serve and remember to swing harder on your second serve. Keep practicing like Wozniacki.
2. Forehand. She hits her forehand with good topspin, accuracy and power. Her quick footwork helps her dash around the court and return most shots, daring her opponent to not make a mistake.
3. Backhand. Wozniacki’s double-handed backhand is one of her main strengths and helps her grind down her opponents with her topspin and consistency. Used together with her forehand, she mixes cross-court and down-the-line shots with ease and moves her opponent left and right of the court. If you are not fit enough, Wozniacki is the type of player to make you suffer. Wozniacki’s backhand is a great shot to model. Work on your movement and timing of your swing. Take the ball early with a nice full follow through to impart depth and spin.
4. Volley. Wozniacki, like most players today, tend to stay on the baseline and would attack and approach the net on a short ball or weak return. Her volley is solid like most professionals, and often likes to hit a swinging volley.
5. Movement.. If there is one main takeaway about Wozniacki’s game, its that it pays to work hard on your fitness, endurance and movement around the court. Her consistency and counter-punching style makes her very tough to beat. Work on your agility and footwork, and aim to hit that one ball more than your opponent to win the point, working your way to winning the match.
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