Days after being humiliatingly dumped by her fiance during an abrupt telephone call last month, she crashed out of the French Open in the first round, but Caroline Wozniacki on Tuesday vowed that she is bouncing back from her split with golfer Rory McIlroy, saying that she is rediscovering her game and even hinting at a flirtation with Spanish tennis player Feliciano Lopez.
The Danish star and world No. 26 Lopez — dubbed “Deliciano” by Judy Murray in 2011, presumably to the enormous embarrassment of her son, Britain’s Andy Murray — were spotted together this month at the Aegon International in Eastbourne, England, where the Spaniard told reporters: “I like her so much. She has a great character.”
Asked about the interview in which he also mentioned admiring her father, Wozniacki joked: “He’s already making his way in through my dad?”
Photo: AFP
Yet of Lopez she would say only: “He’s a great guy,” before saying with a smile: “This is very awkward,” adding that it is “pretty hard to sweep me off my feet. It would have to take someone very special.”
McIlroy’s name has been strictly off-limits in the runup to Wimbledon, with journalists warned not to mention the Northern Irishman in interviews with the Dane.
In a press conference following her comfortable defeat of Israel’s Shahar Peer in the first round at Wimbledon, the former world No. 1 — seeded 16th in the tournament — deftly sidestepped questions about her breakup, saying: “We’re a month already past that. I’m feeling good and I’m playing well and I’m excited to be here.”
Wozniacki flew to Miami the day after her Roland Garros defeat, where she was met by the US’ Serena Williams, whom she described as “an amazing friend.”
“She’s always been there for me whenever I’ve needed her. It’s great that you have such an amazing competitor ... after everything that she’s achieved in her professional career, that she finds time,” Wozniacki said.
The Dane’s second-round opponent is to be Briton Naomi Broady, 24, who won her first Wimbledon match on Monday despite being cut off from Lawn Tennis Association funding since 2007 after she posted a photograph of a night out with friends on a social media site.
“I’ve been the only person at every practice session for the past few years. I’ve not had any coach there, from the federation or anywhere else,” Broady said after her first-round win.
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was