Caroline Wozniacki: Has the sun started to shine again?

The verdant green lawns and the delectable strawberries and cream herald the arrival of the most venerable Slam in tennis – Wimbledon. It’s a major which both the players and the fans hold in revered awe, and naturally the majestic serenity and unrivalled charm that Wimbledon brings about are enough to lift the spirits of every tennis aficionado.

Perhaps not just the spirits, even the games of the contenders try to escalate themselves keeping in pace with the magnificent ambience. Caroline Wozniacki can definitely vouch for that. The Dane, adorably called Miss Sunshine, had been in a trough and needless to say, the sun had stopped shining on her for the past few weeks.

Wozniacki had lost five of her last six matches on red clay. Since Charleston, she had been winless heading into the year’s second Slam. At Roland Garros she had managed to turn around her string of first-round losses and emerged victorious over an erratic Laura Robson much to the surprise of many critics. But her joy was transient as she was bundled out in the second round itself by Bojana Jovanovski.

Clay which had already been her worst surface seemed even more merciless to her. The Dane’s tactics, strategies and her game – everything had come under the line of fire from her detractors who were keen to write her obituary. Even, news of her father Piotr renouncing his coaching started swirling in. Wozniacki, for once, seemed joyous to leave behind the terre battue and look forward to the pristine green turf. Right after her French Open slump, she commented, “Hasn’t been the best clay season this year. I guess it’s good that it’s the last tournament.”

Leaving behind the torturous sojourn with clay, the former World No. 1 had stepped onto the Devonshire Park at Eastbourne this week in the hope of notching some confidence-boosting wins ahead of Wimbledon. The odour of the sea and the grass, the feel on the faster surface and seagulls making merry high above in the sky – everything about the Sunshine Coast is so wonderfully familiar with Wozniacki that she naturally feels at home in Eastbourne. She had been acquainted with these lawns and its quaint charm since her junior days. And most importantly, Caroline had reigned supreme at this very place way back in 2009.

Her return once again showed flashes of the supreme consistency that had propelled Caroline to the pinnacle of the rankings. Moving more effortlessly but retaining her natural game with a touch of aggression from the baseline, Wozniacki found it easier than expected to deal with the defending Eastbourne champion, Tamira Paszek, who unfortunately had to retire with a thigh injury. It was evident that the Dane had put in hours of perseverance putting aside the humiliation of the last few weeks. Not only that, she had even contemplated ways to contend with the aggressive girls.

Under contract with Yonex since 2011, Wozniacki had been tinkering with her racquet, and she used a blacked-out racquet at Eastbourne. With the hope that it will aid in generating more power, Wozniacki looked fresh, chirpy and much more assured of her self than the recent few months.

Her surge of confidence became more evident as she took the court against the British No. 1, Laura Robson, in her second round encounter. Their battle at Roland Garros had turned out to be a dampener for the British fans, but many had predicted a reversal of fortunes in this particular match between former junior Wimbledon champions.

Robson, who has recently inked up a partnership with Andy Murray’s former coach Miles Maclagan, began in a promising fashion. Serving at the sweet spots and going for her brutal off-forehands at will, Robson started using her attacking tennis to keep the Dane at bay. Each of her winners and errors started drawing the oohs and aahs from the British crowd, and before long it became clearer that Wozniacki was playing both Robson and the spectators.

But that only lit up the amazing defence that the Dane is famous for. Egged on by her support team comprising superstar beau Rory Mc Illroy, Wozniacki produced a masterclass of consistency – serving brilliantly, producing exquisite angles and flattening out the intermittent down-the-line forehands. Soon, Wozniacki had assumed the role of the condescending grasscourter and Robson was reduced to a pretender.

When Wozniacki finds her rhythm, it is tough to throw her off unless one takes one’s chances impeccably. Her superb retrieving skills were on display, which mounted more pressure on the Briton’s serve. And the serve cracked in both sets under the weight of the jangling nerves. And that’s all Wozniacki needed to romp into the quarter-finals.

Grass is perhaps the panacea Caroline needed to cure herself. Needless to say, the return to grass has palliated her distressing form as this is just the first time since Indian Wells that she has played and won two matches in a row. For the first time in many weeks, Wozniacki has been producing flashes of her former self – the grit, the tenacity, the eagerness are shining forth. She has surely come back with a renewed hunger and desire which had been missing for some time. Perhaps, the sun is once again shining over the Dane.