What Caroline Wozniacki's Loss to Victoria Azarenka Means for French Open

Caroline Wozniacki's quest for that elusive first major title will continue after the 24-year-old star was knocked out of the Australian Open by Victoria Azarenka. 

The Dane was thumped 6-4 6-2 by Azarenka, as noted by Guardian Sport:

After ascending to the top of the rankings in 2010, due in part to reaching the finals of the 2009 U.S. Open, Wozniacki has scuffled when it comes to the big tournaments. She reached one final in the next four years, also at the U.S. Open, and just three semifinals in 20 Grand Slam events. 

This loss does bring up the questions that have been associated with Wozniacki for years. She's quickly becoming, if she isn't already, the tennis version of Phil Mickelson.

Remember, Mickelson was long considered the best golfer in the world without a major title before breaking through at the 2004 Masters. Wozniacki has to endure this defeat, and her next shot to capture a major title is at one of her worst events, the French Open.

Wozniacki has the star power to be a major player in tennis, but something that could push her over the final hump seems to be missing. To be fair, her last loss in a Grand Slam final was against Serena Williams at an event, the aforementioned U.S. Open, that Serena has dominated for years. 

But there may have been something else at play for Wozniacki this year in Australia. She entered the tournament at less than 100 percent after injuring her wrist during a first-round match against Barbora Zahlavova Strycova at the Sydney International. 

Wozniacki was forced to withdraw from that match early in the second set. She told reporters, via The Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com), that it happened after hitting the ball "against the wind and hit it late and I felt it in my wrist."

The Denmark native also didn't sound overly concerned about the injury at the time, noting it was something she's dealt with in the past:

"

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.

[...]

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.

"

That injury can provide some context for the exit, though Roland Garros looms large in May. Wozniacki has been a mess at this event since 2010. That was the year she reached the quarterfinals, but in four years since, she hasn't made it past the third round. 

Lee Jin-man/Associated Press

Last year's French Open was Wozniacki's worst since her first professional season in 2007. She was knocked out by Yanina Wickmayer in the first round. There were extenuating circumstances around that, as her relationship with pro golfer Rory McIlroy had just ended at the time. 

Wozniacki admitted to reporters, via Simon Briggs of The Guardian, that those off-court issues did affect her mindset, and she was also dealing with injuries at the time:

"

You’re not prepared for something like this, and it came as a bit of a shock. I just tried to prepare the best that I could, and really tried to focus on my match and on what I had to do out there.

It doesn’t make it easier that I haven’t been able to play really that many matches because I have been injured. I felt a little bit rusty, and it wasn’t really a pretty match. But I tried.

"

While there doesn't figure to be anything as dramatic around Wozniacki this year, those issues last year don't explain what happened in 2012 and 2013 when she left in the third round. Some of the best players in history have struggled on clay. Roger Federer can attest to that. 

Given the direction her career has gone, as well as this latest setback, Wozniacki has a long road ahead of her to even factor into the title conversation at Roland Garros. She does have four months to get healthy and find her footing this season. 

If there is a major where Wozniacki will make any kind of dent, history suggests it will be the U.S. Open. She's still got a lot of time ahead of her, both this year and in her career, to get that first major victory. History suggests it won't be at the French Open, but that's why these things aren't decided on paper.