The world would be a better place if there were more first pitches like this one. After a quick warm-up, Woz threw a perfect ball right over home plate.

Perhaps venting about her 7-5, 7-5 loss to 18-year-old Belinda Bencic at the Rogers Cup or perhaps trying to get some catharsis from same nagging injuries that have affected her this summer, world No. 5 Caroline Wozniacki ripped into the WTA Wednesday night, accusing her sport’s governing body of being hypocrites who essentially force their players to play through injuries.

“The WTA, they’re like, ‘We want the players healthy, we want them to play at their best level at every tournament and we want to make it tough for them. And that’s good. But the fact that they’re pushing you to play whenever – if you are not feeling 100 percent – is not OK.

(USA TODAY Sports Images)

“I haven’t practiced for a week because I wanted to make sure that I was 100% healthy. I went out there and actually my leg and my back (are) feeling pretty good, so that’s good. But today was the first time that I’ve practiced for a week. Normally I want to be able to play up to my best tennis and you’re not going to do that if you don’t practice.

“But the rules if you’re a top-10 player are so that this was my commitment tournament and you’re forced to play. If you don’t, you get huge money fines. You get zero points to your ranking. Plus, they wouldn’t allow me to play small tournament in this half of the year, which is crazy. I’ve been on the players’ council for a long time and I’m not anymore because these rules are things that players complain about all the time, but we can’t do anything about it.”

(Getty Images)

This is one of those topics on which you can be exactly right and oh-so-wrong at the same time.

1. Wozniacki played last week at the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford. She was not required to do so and lost in her opening round. The WTA’s rules for the mandatory tourneys are imperfect, but don’t blame them when you’re playing tournaments you don’t have to.

2. Players aren’t forced to play anything. They can, as Wozniacki said, pay fines if they don’t play the “required” tournaments.

(Getty Images)

3. Canada is a Premier 5 tournament. Given Wozniacki’s top 5 ranking, that means she’d owe a $50,000 fine for not playing. Now, $50,000 is nothing to scoff at, but Wozniacki has made at least that much money in seven different tournaments this year, not to mention whatever she gets from the apparel deals she gets for wearing Adidas at said tournaments. I’m not saying it’s fair, but the fine is hardly going to break the bank. And if you’re playing because of money and not because you want to be in the best shape for the U.S. Open, then don’t play, or dump a match and keep quiet about it.

4. Wozniacki is totally correct in that the WTA doesn’t listen to players, schedules big tournaments far too close to one another and needs an overhaul. But the WTA doesn’t make the decision to step on that court; that’s all on Wozniacki.

(AP)

The U.S. Open kicks off on Monday, and Caroline Wozniacki is certainly getting into the spirit with some festive nail art.

The Statue of Liberty. Skyscrapers. The U.S. Open logo. The Danish flag (as a nod to her home country, of course). The attention to detail here is truly unparalleled.

The carnage in the women’s draw at the U.S. Open continued Thursday night when No. 4 seed and 2014 finalist Caroline Wozniacki blew an early lead, lost seven straight games, made a valiant comeback, then blew four match points and was ultimately and unceremoniously bounced from the tournament by No. 149 Petra Cetkovska. But, hey, on the bright side, at least Caro won’t have to get hammered in the final again by her bestie, Serena Williams.

Of the current WTA top 10, seven are out of the Open before the third round has even started.

Maria Sharapova (No. 3) — Withdrew one day before tournament

(AP)

Caroline Wozniacki (No. 5) — Lost in second round 

Lucia Safarova (No. 6) — Lost 6-4, 6-1 in first round to No. 37 Lesia Tsurenko

Ana Ivanovic (No. 7) — Lost 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in first round to No. 50 Dominika Cibulkova

Karolina Pliskova (No. 8) — Lost 6-2, 6-1 in first round to No. 121 Anna Tatishvili

Garbine Muguruza (No. 9) — Lost 7-6 (4), 6-7 (4), 6-2 in second round to No. 97 Johanna Konta

(Getty Images)

Carla Suarez Navarro (No. 10) — Lost 6-1, 7-6 (5) in first round to No. 77 Denisa Allertova

Besides Serena, all that remain in the top 10 are No. 2 Simona Halep (who lost in the first and second rounds of the last two majors) and No. 4 Petra Kvitova (who won the last major that Serena didn’t — Wimbledon 2014). That’s it. That’s the list.

So, good news for Serena’s Grand Slam, right? Not exactly. As we’ve discussed in this space over the past two months, Serena has dominated the top 10 in Slams — she’s dominated them so much it’s hard to believe. She has an amazing 12-0 record in majors against top-10 players over the last three years. When she loses, however, it’s to lesser opponents. Over the same period when she’s been undefeated against the top 10, her losses have come to players ranked Nos. 14, 24, 24, 25, 35, 56 and 111.

Petra Cetskova defeated Wozniacki. (Getty Images)

That’s bad news for her possible draw. After playing the unseeded, but dangerous Bethanie Mattek-Sands on Friday, Serena could face No. 19 Madison Keys, No. 23 Venus Williams, No. 17 Elina Svitolina and then, in the final, whoever emerges from the t bottom half. It T could be Halep or Kvitova, or No. 11 Angelique Kerber, No. 18 Andrea Petkovic, No. 20 Victoria Azarenka (a longtime foe), No. 22 Sam Stosur (who handed Serena her last U.S. Open loss all the way back in 2011) or No. 24 Sabine Lisicki (who beat Serena at Wimbledon in 2013). All those women are right in the wheelhouse of players Serena loses to in Slams. Of course, the optimist might say that Serena is a staggering 46-7 in Grand Slam semis or finals, so if she doesn’t get knocked off before then, it’s game, set match.

So are the best players avoiding Serena? Not intentionally, no, but subconsciously they might have the thought that they’re already defeated, leading to lackluster play through the first four days — play that’s left the draw a disaster, but also means Serena’s easiest possible wins are all gone.

(AP)

The relationship between NFL star J.J. Watt and tennis star Caroline Wozniacki, that seemed to be a sure thing when the two attended the Duke-Wisconsin Final Four game together in April and were spotted in Florida on week later, apparently is no more, if it ever was anything at all. In a glowing Watt profile written by Mike Silver of NFL.com, the player suggests his dating life has been “unsuccessful,” which is either a tacit admission that he and Woz aren’t dating or a really, really good fakeout. Writes Silver:

Ah, to be a bullish Badger fan with good looks and disposable income. When television cameras caught Watt sitting next to Danish tennis star Caroline Wozniacki during the Wisconsin-Duke title game, there was obvious speculation that they were a couple. Yet if it seems as though Watt is living a charmed dating life, he insists that isn’t the case.

(AP)

“People [I know] think that I’ve never dated before, or whatever,” Watt says. “But I’m trying. I’m trying. I’m just unsuccessful. My schedule’s so crazy and life’s so busy, it just hasn’t worked.”

Kudos to two media masters. In one corner you have J.J. Watt, who truly seems to be a football version of Captain America. He’s perfect in the eyes of football fans, as he does a ton of good things for people and is careful to never let himself be the one to tell the press about it. (Social media does a fine job of that itself.) His turn on Hard Knocks was basically hagiography. He’s a good dude and knows that as long as he keeps bringing flowers to little girls and going to games with eligible bachelorettes, he’ll get that favorable coverage that’s so important when it comes to fans, image and endorsements, a sport in which players, particularly those on defense, don’t tend to earn a ton of money off the field.

(USA TODAY Sports Images)

As for Wozniacki, it’s clear she totally won that breakup with McIlroy even though that seemed completely improbable a few weeks after the breakup. Even though Rors won majors afterward, people think he’s sort of slimy for the way he dumped his fiancee (over the phone) and how quickly he rebounded with a model. And now that Jordan Spieth and Jason Day are impeding on his territory, he may only be the fourth-most popular player in the game. (Yes, I’m still counting Tiger up there.) Meanwhile, Wozniacki is besties with Serena Williams, has been playing her best tennis ever (yeah, even better than when she was No. 1) and can draw tabloid headlines anytime she’s spotted with a famous single man. At that Final Four game, you can make the argument that each was arm candy for the other.

(Getty Images)

Anyway, the revelation is nothing surprising. Wozniacki is on the road 40 weeks per year and her brief offseason coincides with the height of the NFL year. But, hey, there’s nothing wrong with trying and getting some good publicity out of it.

Take rumors about Caroline Wozniacki’s love life — like the new one with longtime NBA forward David Lee — with a grain of salt. She’s been tied to so many potential beaus since Rory McIlroy did his fianceé dirty by dumping her over the phone that perhaps the biggest upset of the tennis season wasn’t Vinci over Serena but Wozniacki not being linked to a member of One Direction.

The world No. 17 went to a Wisconsin basketball game with J.J. Watt in March but apparently nothing was there (whether because of chemistry or the near impossibility of dating someone when you’re on the road 40 weeks of the year). That was a setup the pro-Caro contingent loved because of how it must have made McIlroy feel to see Caro with one of the manliest men in sports. Then there were whispers of her seeing Novak Djokovic’s brother, another NFL defender in Washington Redskins defensive end Ryan Kerrigan and others I’m probably missing because typing “wozniacki boyfriend” on Google brings up more results than “donald trump ridiculous.”

But now the new rumor, which our knee-jerk reaction is to dismiss, but we like because it’s a good one, is that Wozniacki is keeping her love life in the sports circle with Lee. Last week, the 25-year-old went to a party at The Versace Mansion in Miami accompanied by Boston Celtics forward David Lee. (The Celts had played the Heat the night before and Lee evidently stuck around another day.)

Page Six disappointingly, and very un-Page-Six-like, reports the two had met the night before which is sort of weird because every time I go to a party at the Versace Mansion I usually bring a woman whom I’ve known for at least 48 hours.

Lee, a 10-year veteran (!) is averaging 6.6 ppg for the surprise Celtics, who currently are eighth in the Eastern Conference. The two-time All Star was a member of last year’s title-winning Golden State team but was traded in the offseason due to his pricey contract.

This Wozniacki thing could either be a case of a new friendship, a new romance or just the media running with a story that Wozniacki is seeing any famous person she’s photographed with, which might mean Scottie Pippen and a derelict Adrian Brody could be potential items too.

(AP)

In a decision that isn’t too surprising, Denmark has asked Caroline Wozniacki to be the flag bearer for the nation during the Opening Ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Wozniacki is probably the most visible athlete for Denmark worldwide, unless we’re counting Nicklas Bendtner, the Danish soccer player who is the greatest player in the history of the universe. (In his own head.) And I don’t even know if Denmark’s soccer team is planning on taking Bendtner. (Please take Bendtner.)

There’s been a lot of talk about whether ranking points for the tennis world tour should be awarded at the Olympics. For some players, the fact that points aren’t awarded and that their performances in Rio therefore won’t affect their overall standings is a huge reason why they aren’t going. American player John Isner said as much in a press conference at the French Open this year.

And even players who are competing in Rio, such as No. 1-ranked Novak Djokovic, have said they think the system should change to prevent more players from dropping out. Given security concerns and fears about the zika virus that have dogged the games this year, it’s understandable that some believe a little extra incentive might help convince more players to go.

But two of the sport’s highest profile players don’t see how anything could stop their fellow competitors from wanting to play in the Olympics. Serena and Venus Williams separately expressed how important they think the games are at press conferences following recent matches at the French Open.

“I didn’t realize how wonderful it would be, to be part of something so amazing,” Venus said of her four gold medals. “It was beyond my dreams to participate, and to actually have success there was something I had never dreamed of. I place it at the top of the list of important tennis events – yes, above Grand Slams.”

Serena addressed the issue of points — unlike Djokovic, she doesn’t think that anyone should need convincing to compete in the Olympics.

“Who needs ranking points if you’re playing for a gold medal?,” Serena asked. “Gotta get your life in perspective. I’m trying to get a gold. I don’t need any points.”

It’s worth noting that Caroline Wozniacki isn’t eligible to compete in the Olympics this year because, due to an ankle injury, she hasn’t been able to play in the requisite number of Fed Cup zone events to qualify (which is a problem, given that Denmark tapped her to carry the Danish flag at the Opening Ceremonies).

Wozniacki, who’s fallen dramatically in the rankings since her injury and is currently No. 34 in the world, will appeal to the International Tennis Federation in the hopes that they’ll let her compete anyway. She should find out around June 30th if she’ll be able to play or not.

It would be interesting to hear what Williams thinks of the Fed Cup requirements, given that she and Wozniacki are good friends.

Esquire’s June/July issue features a big long piece on Caroline Wozniacki, who won her first match on Tuesday after being out for over two months with an ankle injury. Currently ranked No. 34, the former world No. 1 beat Cagla Buyukakcayagla in the first round of the Aegon Open in Nottingham.

Wozniac addressed her impulsive nature in the piece, specifically her decision to run the New York City Marathon in 2014.

“I told my team at Wimbledon that I thought I would run, and I’m not sure they believed me. So I called my agent and said, ‘Can we find a charity that I can run for?’ Once that was in the news, I couldn’t back out. But I will tell you that running the marathon was just the greatest feeling. Even though my tennis trophies are on the wall at my parents’ house, the marathon’s is the one that I’ve kept for my wall.”

“I’m not going to say I’m not a little crazy,” she added.

There are also, of course, photos. Here’s Woz getting her hair did:

Pamela Hanson

Here’s Woz posing on an umpire’s chair:

Pamela Hanson

And here’s Woz holding a tennis ball near a net, wearing an outfit she probably wouldn’t play tennis in:

Pamela Hanson

Michelle Obama gave an incredible speech at the Democratic National Convention on Monday night. And you know who loved it? Caroline Wozniacki.

Wozniacki wasn’t the only one inspired by the speech: Twitter exploded with praise for Obama as she spoke about striving for a better future for “generations of people who felt the lash of bondage, the shame of servitude, the sting of segregation.” The First Lady also spoke about watching her own daughters play on the lawn of the White House, a house “built by slaves,” and about how she believes Hillary Clinton has “the guts and the grace” to break the “highest and hardest glass ceiling.”

The Twitter trolls in Wozniacki’s mentions after the Danish tennis star tweeted her support weren’t great, but they weren’t as bad as they normally are. Some people said things like “unfollow,” but others were in agreement with her assessment of the First Lady’s words. And then, of course, you have the one person who chimes in with something completely relevant.

Wozniacki is currently ranked No. 60 in the world, a huge slide from the No. 24 spot she held in April thanks mostly to an ankle injury that sidelined her for a few months. She will bear the Danish flag for her home country at the Opening Ceremonies in Rio.

Caroline Wozniacki is just like us in that she tweets about her Uber drivers. At least she did today, claiming the man she summoned with her phone to drive her around made her late for practice because “HE” had to stop at the bank.

Now, I’m going to tell you a story. I was once really late to meet somebody for dinner and it was entirely my fault. Like, I just did not leave my house on time. I wasn’t even doing anything, I simply couldn’t get my act together. So you know what I did? Fired off a “omg my Uber driver is taking the weirdest route and I am going to be so late” tweet and then sent a text. Am I the worst? Maybe.

I’m not saying that’s what happened here. I’m sure Wozniacki’s driver really did stop at the bank. I once had an Uber driver cancel on me because he said he really had to go to the bathroom so he couldn’t pick me up, after all. Life happens. Nature calls. Dollar bills must be taken out of ATMs.

All I’m saying is when it comes to being late, Twitter can be a very useful decoy.

Did Paddy Barnes, the Irish boxer who was also his country’s flag-bearer for Rio’s Opening Ceremony, cross a line when he snapped a selfie with tennis star Caroline Wozniacki and called out her ex-fiance Rory McIlroy on Twitter?

Wozniacki and McIlroy, you’ll remember, had a very public relationship that ended in 2014 with a shocking and bitter breakup. Even though McIlroy is engaged to someone else, this might be a case of “too soon.” Barnes later tweeted this:

I had to look up “the craic” (here’s a good explanation from Syracuse.com) to figure out that Barnes basically said he’s poking fun at McIlroy.

Let’s also note that Barnes called out McIlroy last month about his fellow countryman’s decision to not play at the Olympics because of concerns about the Zika virus. From The Irish Times:

“I don’t really agree with what he is saying on the basis that this is the third excuse so I don’t know whether he is telling the truth or not. Make up your mind. Tell the truth: There is no prize money to be made from the Olympics for a golfer. No prize money, that’s it. The Zika excuse doesn’t carry weight for anyone competing at the Olympics but especially golfers who go on holidays and play big tournaments where the virus exists. And it is extremely rare to catch. It is not a valid excuse.”

He also tweeted this at McIlroy in July:

I wonder how the golfer must feel about Barnes “having the craic” with him.

This had the potential to turn into a horribly awkward situation, had it not been for this adept sidestep from Rory McIlroy.

Irish boxer Paddy Barnes trolled Rory on Saturday at the Olympics when he tagged Rory in this selfie alongside tennis star and his ex-fiancé Caroline Woznicki.

Rather than pretend it didn’t happen, Rory responded with a tweet of his own, laughing off the whole thing.

Crisis averted.

As if reaching the U.S. Open semis weren’t enough, Serena Williams turned around a few days later and put on a show at New York Fashion Week for HSN. Because why settle for being arguably the greatest tennis player/athlete of all time when you can also have a second career as a highly successful fashion designer?

The stands seats were packed with her famous friends and family who came out to support her. Caroline Wozniacki sat with Venus Williams and Vogue editor in chief/fashion’s scariest and most important person Anna Wintour. Olympians Delilah Muhammad, Ibtihaj Muhammad, Alyson Felix, and Natasha Hastings were also in attendance.

That picture above won four gold, a silver and a bronze in Rio. No big deal. Lala Anthony also came out to support Serena.

And here’s the G.O.A.T. herself:

Wozniacki also hit up the Prabal Gurung show, where she sat with socialite/ex-reality TV star (has there ever been a title more American? I don’t think so) Olivia Polermo and model Ashley Graham.

Christopher Smith/Invision/AP

And, for good measure, here is another photos of Wozniacki and Venus.

Monica Schipper/Getty Images

Très chic.

A young reporter asked Rory McIlroy some very good and also slightly awkward questions about his decision not to participate in the Olympics, his old hairstyles and a slightly disguised one about his former fiancee, Caroline Wozniacki.

First, let’s look at the hairstyles.

“It was a phase, Billy.”

Screenshot

And then, the question about Wozniacki.

Billy: “I know Andy Murray’s a good mate of yours. But who’s your favorite girl tennis player?

(Cue the very awkward pause).

Screenshot

McIlroy: “Honestly Billy, I’ve stopped following women’s tennis the last couple of years.”

Rory McIlroy opened up in a two-part interview with the Irish Independent‘s Paul Kimmage about many different topics — from the late-night texts he gets from Tiger Woods to his relationship with his fiancée Erica Stoll.

Here’s some of what McIlroy said while talking about Stoll:

“I thought at the time that being with someone that was in a similar position to you was the obvious answer. But it isn’t, because you can never get away from it. You can never detach yourself and try to come back to the real world. And that’s why I feel in such a good place now. I don’t feel Erica wants to change me in any way. I can be myself around her; there’s no bulls—, no acting, no show.”

Caroline Wozniacki, who’s McIlroy’s ex-fiancée, was asked about the comments as she competes at the Australian Open. She responded, per the Daily Mirror:

No 17 seed Wozniacki said: “I saw it alright, but I do not really have anything to say. Was I surprised? Yes.

“It’s a little dead by now. It is three years ago, so I don’t understand why he keeps bringing it up. I don’t think there is any reason to.

“He looks like he is a good place in his life, so he surely he must move on.”

(H/T Golfweek)

The rumors that San Antonio Spurs forward David Lee and tennis star Caroline Wozniacki — the ex-fiance of golfer Rory McIlroy — are dating have persisted for some time.

All the way back in December of 2015, there was talk of the pair being spotted together.

Plus, they’ve trained together:

And then there’s this photo from last December:

Now, we’ve got two pieces of proof they’re an item. The first was a Wozniacki Instagram story posted on Valentine’s Day:

Yup, she gave a shoutout to Lee there.

The second is a little more explicit: Wozniacki’s brother Patrik told Danish tabloid Ekstra Bladet that the pair are indeed dating.

No official words yet from Wozniacki and Lee themselves, but that Valentine’s Day photo all but confirms it, right?

Corrections: An earlier version of this post had an inaccurate top image

Caroline Wozniacki marked her third straight year in the SI Swimsuit edition by posting one of her photos from the issue on Instagram.

“The new @si_swimsuit is on the stands today!!! So excited and honored to be included in the issue for the third straight year! Thank you @mj_day for believing in me and for making every shoot memorable and for making me part of the #SISwim family!!! Love you!!! ” she wrote in the caption.

Here’s some of her past appearances in the swimsuit edition of the magazine:

We’ve been over this before: Tennis star Caroline Wozniacki and San Antonio Spurs forward David Lee haven’t officially said they’re dating, but between the pair spending some solid time together and the Valentine’s Day roses she thanked him for in February, it seems it’s, uh, unofficially official?

Here’s another sign that’s utterly obvious that the two are a likely item: Look at what Wozniacki wore for an Instagram photo:

Even though Wozniacki’s brother told a Danish tabloid Lee and the tennis star are together, we’re still waiting for the pair to confirm it. They’re already proving they’re an adorable couple.

This might be the best way to forget about the French Open and NBA playoffs.

Caroline Wozniacki posted a pretty adorable photo with David Lee from Sardinia where they seem to be too happy enjoying a beautiful vacation to worry about Jelena Ostapenko or the Golden State Warriors.

“Having the best time with my love! #Sardinia,” she wrote.

The two were first spotted together in 2015.