ABOUT A WEEK after her engagement to two-time major golf champion Rory McIlroy was called off, Caroline Wozniacki exited the French Open in the first round today.
The 13th-seeded Wozniacki, a former No. 1 and the runner-up at the 2009 US Open, lost 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-2 to 64th-ranked Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium. It’s the first time Denmark’s Wozniacki was beaten in her opener at Roland Garros since 2007, her debut at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament.
At the outset of Wozniacki’s post-match news conference, the moderator said: “Caroline would like to make a statement, and after that she will answer questions about today’s match.”
Then Wozniacki spoke briefly before taking questions, never mentioning McIlroy by name or their scrapped wedding plans.
“I don’t really want to talk about my personal life. I hope that you all can understand that,” she began, and put her left hand to her chest. “The only thing I really have to say is that, you know, (I want to) thank everybody for their support and sweet messages.”
She continued, shrugging her shoulders: “What happens in my personal life, I just want to really keep that between my closest people around me. You know, I just have to move on.”
Last week, McIlroy was close to tears while telling reporters that he and Wozniacki decided to split only days after sending out wedding invitations. They began dating in 2011 and were engaged this past New Year’s Eve.
On Sunday, McIlroy won a European Tour event in England.
Wickmayer was asked whether she’d thought about her opponent’s mental state.
“We all live difficult times with the boyfriend or when somebody dies or when you have personal issues. We all have our personal issues. Everybody is aware of it, because they’re a famous couple. But there are other players who have very personal problems,” Wickmayer said. “I think she’s strong. She’s going to recover.”
