Wozniacki, Niculescu trade barbs after spiteful Doha match

Published by Oscar Andersen

Caroline Wozniacki hasn’t held back when addressing what she felt were unfair tactics by opponent Monica Niculescu during their third-round match at the Qatar Total Open.

Wozniacki complained to the chair umpire in the first set of her 7-5 6-1 victory over the Romanian, saying that Niculescu was grunting as Wozniacki was preparing to hit her own shots, and that Niculescu was varying her grunting sounds as a form of gamesmanship.

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“It’s the only way she can win, is to put people off,” Wozniacki fumed at 4-4 in the first set, having let slip a 4-1 lead.

Niculescu shot back in her Romanian-language press conference, parts of which were translated into English on Twitter.

“That was very bad from her, I have never heard a No.1 to talk like that,” she said.

“I am really disappointed by what she said and I think she gives herself too much importance.

“I didn’t want to get in her head. This is how I play.”

Wozniacki addressed the incident again in her surprisingly forthright post-match press conference.

“Obviously she’s a player that tried to get into your head,” Wozniacki said.

“She’ll hit the ball and then two seconds later when the ball is on my side and I’m right about to hit, she’ll start grunting and make a loud noise. And she’ll change the grunt according to what she feels like.

“It’s disturbing. It’s one thing if you hit the ball and you start grunting straight away, then you can grunt a little longer – I don’t have a problem with that. But it’s when you’re about to hit your shot and you’re prepared, and all of a sudden a grunt is coming.

“It’s in the rules that they’re not supposed to do that.”

Wozniacki in the quarterfinals will face Angelique Kerber.

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