Why Caroline Wozniacki Won't Ever Win a Grand Slam Title

When Caroline Wozniacki reached the finals of the 2009 U.S. Open at age 19, the consensus among tennis experts was surely she'll win a Grand Slam title some day.

Well, it's 2016 and after crashing out of the Australian Open in the first round, it's obvious that Wozniacki will likely never win a Grand Slam title.

Sort of sad. Few players are as likable as Wozniacki. If we could like her way to a Grand Slam title, Wozniacki would have won 10 by now. Instead, she's a super-duper pleasant player who will never win a Slam.  

After breezing through the first set at 6-1, Wozniacki lost her match to No. 76 Yulia Putintseva. 

In an interview with Tennis.com's Matt Cronin, Wozniacki used an expletive to describe her first-round loss. “I would say it's a pretty sh*tty start to the season." 

Wozniacki's woes at the Australian Open have worsened in the eeriest pattern. Since reaching the semifinals in 2011—her best showing in Melbourne—Wozniacki's run has ended in the quarterfinals, fourth round, third round, second round and now the first, respectively. 

Her career and rankings are declining in a similar manner. Still a teen, Wozniacki finished 2008 ranked No. 12. She rose to No. 4 in 2009. She ended 2010 and 2011 ranked No. 1. 

She held the No. 1 ranking for 67 weeks before relinquishing the top spot at the 2012 Australian Open. She finished 2012 and 2013 ranked No. 10.

Now ranked No. 18, Wozniacki appears to have hit a wall. 

Wozniacki's best tennis is likely behind her and so are her opportunities to win a Slam. 

What chance does she have? By the time Serena Williams retires, Victoria Azarenka will have reestablished herself or someone like Garbine Muguruza or Belinda Bencic will have emerged as the new power on the WTA Tour.

It's over for Woz. Her athleticism and sublime defensive skills make for applause-worthy rallies. However, her game has not and will not win a Grand Slam. She's playing old-school tennis in a new-age world.

Counter-punching your way to a Grand Slam title went out of style in the 1980s along with Chris Evert and leotards. 

No longer can players count on outlasting opponents. Evert dominated the women's game with that style until Martina Navratilova changed everything. Navratilova could counterpunch as well as Evert. But she also brought power, increased fitness and agility to the game. 

Rick Rycroft/Associated Press

In an article about Navratilova's first U.S. Open win, Tennis Magazine's Steve Tignor describes how she changed the game.

"Few other women players had ever moved or played the sport as fluidly and instinctively as Navratilova. Like McEnroe and Nastase, her mix of grace and power left most of her opponents looking drably earthbound."  

Players such as Steffi Graf, Justine Henin, Venus and Serena Williams elevated the women's game beyond the baseline. Vertical court-coverage was as important as lateral movement. 

A decade younger than the Williams sisters, it's odd that Wozniacki would develop a game so stuck in the past. The last counterpuncher to win a Grand Slam was Anastasia Myskina in the 2004 French Open. Even that seemed like a fluke. 

It's not just about size and power. Wozniacki is bigger and as strong as Simona Halep. But Halep has a better chance of winning a Slam because her game is more aggressive and has more variety. 

A few years ago, when Wozniacki was ranked No. 1 and reaching the semifinals at Slams on a routine basis, it seemed she might be the next Victoria Azarenka, a contemporary who climbed to No. 1 en route to winning two Slams.

Instead, Wozniacki has become another Dinara Safina, a paper-tiger No. 1 who retired without ever winning a major. 

Last November, Serena Williams told Matt Cronin that she believes Wozniacki can win many Slams. 

"

She has even been able to be No. 1 in the world for more than a year and [that] should be something to put more focus on rather than to note that she has not yet won a Grand Slam tournament ... Caroline is very young and she still has a great chance to do everything she can to win not just one—but many Grand Slams. 

"

Those are some nice words of encouragement from Serena. That's what besties are for. But Serena overlooks that the No. 1 ranking is as about as out of reach for Wozniacki as the Slams. Wozniacki's career is headed south and with it so are her chances of winning a Slam. 

This time last year, Wozniacki arrived in Melbourne full of hope and seemingly on track. Just ahead of the 2015 Australian Open she spoke with the Guardian's Simon Cambers about the possibility of never winning a Grand Slam. 

 “A grand slam is the only thing lacking on my CV and I would love to have that,” she said. “You never know, I might finish my career and not have won one but at the end of the day, I can always look back and say I gave it my all and that’s all you can do."

Wozniacki's efforts will never be questioned. She's obviously a hard worker. Holding down the No. 1 ranking for 67 weeks reflects how talented, determined and consistent she is. Unfortunately, in tennis, greatness is measured by Grand Slams won. 

Still young, Wozniacki may prove me wrong. If so, I'll applaud enthusiastically. My guess is that when she retires, Wozniacki will join Todd Martin, Elena Dementieva, David Ferrer and Safina in that growing list of players who "woulda, shoulda, coulda" won a Slam.