Wozniacki says marathon spirit will help her dig deep

BACK pain forced Caroline Wozniacki to retire from the semi-finals at Eastbourne yesterday but she still believes her marathon training will help her last the distance at Wimbledon. Denmark’s world No 5 has never won a Grand Slam, despite being world No 1 for 67 weeks of her career, but she completed 26.2 miles in New York last year in 3hr 26min 33sec — a time good enough to qualify her for the 2016 Boston Marathon. Few players run marathons during their careers, though many have in retirement, yet Wozniacki (right) believes it has given her a mental and physical edge — especially if she progresses into the demanding second week at Wimbledon. The 24-year-old pulled out of her last-four clash with Swiss Belinda Bencic at 3-0 down in the first set at the Aegon International but is set to face China’s Saisai Zheng in the first round at the All England Club next week. She said: ‘When I was running the marathon, it gives a signal to the others that, if they’re out against Caroline for a long time, she has the edge. It was a mental thing. I know if I’m out there for a long time I get the edge. I always feel the longer the rallies, the longer the matches, the more to my advantage it is. ‘I hit the wall in the marathon at 35km (21 miles). For three kilometres (two miles) it was a real struggle, but then I knew that I was so close to home. ‘It was the most physically challenging thing I have ever done. I’ve been tired on court but nothing compared to that. ‘The marathon has always been on my bucket list. It was an amazing experience. It felt like I had just conquered the whole world.’ Wozniacki was met at the finish line by friend Serena Williams. Having a five-time Wimbledon champion to call upon is another advantage, though Wozniacki, who has not made it past round four at Wimbledon despite winning it as a junior, says they prefer to spend time not talking about tennis. ‘She’s won 20 Grand Slams,’ said Wozniacki. ‘You have to be an incredible athlete to do that. I would like to get that Slam under my belt as well. Wimbledon suits my game and the final is on my birthday so it would be a perfect present.’ Reaching the final will be a marathon, not a sprint, but Wozniacki knows more about that than most.