Caroline Wozniacki will fly to Melbourne from Sydney on Wednesday morning as she battles to prove her fitness for next week’s Australian Open.

The world No.4 forfeited her first-round match in the Sydney International against the experienced Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova after injuring her wrist in the first set.

Wozniacki was attended to by the courtside trainer on three occasions in the first set but lost 6-4 to the 25th-ranked Czech before retiring in the second with the score locked at one-all

With less than a week until the opening grand slam of the year, the Dane said it was more important to get receive treatment and give her the best possible chance of being able to play at Melbourne Park.

“I felt it during one shot, I hit it against the wind and hit it late and I felt it in my wrist,” Wozniacki said.

“I’ve had it before so I kind of know what it is.

“It’s painful every time I had to hit a backhand and I didn’t want make it worse before Melbourne, so I’m just going to try and get some treatment on it and try and get ready for next week.”

Wozniacki is confident she will be fit to play, but said the injury was a new one and the treatment from the trainer made no real difference to her discomfort.

“She taped it up and it didn’t really make a difference taped or not taped,” she said.

“I just felt like it was getting a little worse, so I felt like I wasn’t going to win the match without being able to hit like a proper backhand.

“I can only make it worse, and that’s really too negative. I thought it was better to get treatment and see what’s happening.

“I just need to take it day by day and see how it feels. Hopefully it’ll take a couple of days and it’ll be fine.”