Good friends Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki will get together again on Sunday (6.30am Monday AEST), but the US Open final won’t be another day at the beach.
There’s too much on the line for both players to let affection get in the way.
“She’s a fun girl, fun to be around,” said Wozniacki, who vacationed with Williams in Miami this year after both endured early French Open exits.
“She always makes me laugh and makes everyone around her laugh.
“(But) I’m on court to win and it doesn’t matter who’s on the other side.”
The two friends had been eyeing the possibility of a title showdown ever since they were drawn in opposite halves.
“We were saying when the tournament started, ‘We’re in separate sides of the draw, so hopefully we can meet in the finals’,” Wozniacki said.
“It would be great if that were to happen'”
Now that it has, the buddies will battle for a title that has vital – if different – significance for each.
Williams won her 17th grand slam title at the US Open last year.
Her pursuit of an 18th – to match Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova on the all-time list led by Australian Margaret Smith Court with 24 – has since been stalled.
Williams is trying to match Evert as the only woman in the open era to win at least three straight US titles, and to equal Evert’s record of six overall.
Wozniacki is trying to win her first major title, something she couldn’t do even as she reached the top of the world rankings in 2010 and 2011.
“We obviously have two very different motivations. We both have a lot to go for,” said Wozniacki, who was 19 when she fell to Kim Clijsters in the 2009 US Open final.
Rather than becoming a perennial contender, the Dane hadn’t made it back to a grand slam final until this week.
“She obviously wants to win and go for her first grand slam and I want to win and try to make a little history,” said Williams, who goes into the match a prohibitive favourite.
Williams has won eight of their nine meetings – including two three-set triumphs in US Open tune-up events in Montreal and Cincinnati.
But the tenacious Dane is undaunted.
“I always believe in myself when I go out to play,” Wozniacki said.
“I definitely believe that no matter who stands on the other side of the net I can win the match.”
