Wozniacki was "shocked" by her separation with McIlroy (©GettyImages). Caroline Wozniacki has admitted that she found it difficult to focus on tennis after her separation with golfer Rory McIlroy received such a high amount of publicity.
The Dane had been engaged to the four-time major winner, and their relationship lasted for over three years, before McIlroy broke off their engagement and ended their relationship in May to focus on his golf.
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Shock
The Northern Irishman’s decision shocked the former world number one, who had accepted his marriage proposal just months earlier on New Year’s Eve in Sydney, and she was forced to carry on with her tennis despite all the unwanted attention.
Wozniacki told Yahoo! News: “I was shocked, I thought at least I would get a face-to-face or something but there was nothing.
“It was just a phone call and then I did not hear from him again.
“It was very hard because he made it very public from the start. So I didn't have a choice, it just got put in my face.”
A series of stories about the pair splitting up followed, and her form did not immediately improve, as she was surprisingly knocked out in the first round of the French Open by Belgian Yanina Wickmayer in May, before being knocked out in the fourth round at Wimbledon by the unseeded Barbora Zahlavova Strycova.
In contrast, McIlroy hit top form in the summer, winning back to back majors at the British Open at Hoylake in July and at the US PGA Championship at Valhalla in August.
Redemption
Despite the setbacks, Wozniacki has since recovered to find arguably the strongest form of her career so far, as after winning the Istanbul Cup in July she reached her second Grand Slam final at the US Open, where she was beaten by world number one Serena Williams last Sunday.
It was her second appearance in a Grand Slam final, after reaching the same stage at Flushing Meadows in 2009, though she was beaten on that occasion by Kim Clijsters of Belgium.
Things are now looking brighter for the 24-year-old, as she has moved back into the top 10 of the world rankings in ninth, improving her chances of qualifying for the WTA Tour Championships in Singapore in October.
A busy schedule
She will have three chances to push her ranking into the top eight and qualify for the tournament, as she is scheduled to play in Wuhan and Beijing in China later this month, before playing in Istanbul again in October.
Should Wozniacki qualify, then she may have to divide her schedule between planning for the tournament and her preparation for the New York City Marathon, which she will be running on November 2nd in aid of Kids Charity, who provide running programs for children, with the WTA Championships finishing just a week earlier.
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