Left field

No longer No. 1, Wozniacki can start taking risks

Finally, the most worn-out debate in women’s tennis can stop after Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki’s defeat in the Australian Open quarter-finals by Kim Clijsters means she will no longer be No.1 in the rankings.

Ever since she first topped the rankings in October 2010, Wozniacki’s lack of a grand slam title has prompted questions about her suitability for the lofty position. Even this week former great Martina Navratilova said Wozniacki’s status was more to do with the limitations of the ranking system which rewards her grinding consistency rather than results at grand slams.

It is hardly Wozniacki’s fault that she found herself as No.1 for virtually all of the past year, after all she does not make the rules, but falling off her perch might just be a blessing in disguise for the Dane as the focus shifts elsewhere.

Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, Maria Sharapova or Victoria Azarenka, still seeking a first major, could all begin next week as the new No.1 and while Wozniacki confidently predicts that she will regain it soon, she can now concentrate on filling in the glaring gap in her CV without the weekly round of questions over her status.

Wozniacki’s game is naturally defensive and while her level rarely drops, she has so far been unable to add the kind of firepower to her game that can make the difference in the latter stages of the slams when she invariably crosses paths with the big hitters.

Still largely coached by her father Piotr, Wozniacki’s game has stagnated despite her No.1 ranking and wins against top-10 players over the past year have been few and far between. In that time Kvitova and Azarenka, who contested the WTA Tour Finals last October, have both made significant improvements.

Belrussian Azarenka has been in dominant form in Australia, roaring into the semi-finals where she will play four-times major winner Clijsters while world number two Kvitova is being tipped as favourite for the title after reaching the quarter-finals where she will face Italy’s Sara Errani on Wednesday.

Why all the fuss about being world number one?

To much fanfare, Lee Westwood has ended the 281-week reign of Tiger Woods as golf’s world number one yet the fact the Briton has not won a major raises a couple of questions — Do rankings reward consistency rather than great achievement? And how much do they really matter?

According to former world number one and six-times major winner Nick Faldo, the answer is not as much as the big tournaments.

“It’s interesting how times have changed, how you can get to be number one without winning a major,” Faldo said. “I never understood the points scoring system, even in my day.

“But I wanted to be number one. It is a nice one to win. But majors are the one, because you have to go and win them and finish them off.”

There is a similar situation in women’s tennis where Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki is the year-end number one without a grand slam to her name. The 20-year-old last month dethroned American Serena Williams, who has not played since winning her 13th grand slam title at Wimbledon in July.

With such obvious talents as 14-times major winner Tiger and Serena it seems bizarre that golf and tennis set such importance on the vagaries of a ranking system, when other sports set less store by them.

Spain top the FIFA soccer rankings, yet you are unlikely to see them tagged as world number one in the media or referred to as such by fans. Rightly, the World Cup win is considered their ultimate achievement.

Is Wozniacki a worthy number one?

Worthy number one or just a sad reflection of the way women’s tennis has evolved into a game of low-risk baseline slugging?

That is the question being asked after Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki was confirmed as the new world number one.

Is she worthy? Well, the WTA rankings system would suggest that she is — just as Jelena Jankovic and Dinara Safina were when they rose to the top without winning the game’s top prizes.

Over the course of the year the 20-year-old has proved the most consistent performer on Tour and the best-placed to benefit from the injury which has sidelined 13-times grand slam singles champion Serena Williams since she won Wimbledon.

Wozniacki claimed her fifth title of the year in Tokyo last week, the first player to achieve that feat since Justine Henin won 10 in 2007. Yet she did not even reach the final of a grand slam this year and has managed that just once, her run to last year’s U.S. Open final where she lost to Kim Clijsters.

There is no denying that Wozniacki is one of the toughest players on Tour and it would be churlish to deny her place at the top of the pile as on current form she is the best there is.

Just like Safina and Jankovic before her, she will not be given due praise for the number one ranking because of the glaring omissions on her CV.

From the baseline: Tricky shot

Trick shots are nothing new for five-time U.S. Open champ Roger Federer.

With five former champs seeing action on day one, it was a spectacular between the legs shot during the second set of his victory over Argentine baseliner Brian Dabul that will dominate talk around the water cooler this morning.

“I’ve only hit a few in my life and two on center court in night session play here in New York,” Federer told his audience. “It’s amazing to share this moment with you guys. Thanks for the ovation and I love it.”

Among the other notable players joining Federer in the second round were birthday boy Andy Roddick, Venus Williams and super mom Kim Clijsters. The only former champ to lose on day one was Australian Lleyton Hewitt.

Although the 2001 champ has only advanced past the fourth round of a Grand Slam once in the last four years, he still plans on playing.

“I still believe I can improve as a player,” said the former world number one, who was seeded 32nd.