By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Tuesday, August 15, 2023

Pursuing perfection is like sparring with your shadow: You'll never land completely cleanly.

Three matches into her ambitious comeback, Caroline Wozniacki is learning she still has the spirit for the battle, but her game is very much a work in progress.

Venus: Best Level of Year 

World No. 45 Varvara Gracheva swept Wozniacki 6-4, 6-4 in her Cincinnati opener today.

Former world No. 1 was outplayed on pressure points: Gracheva saved all nine break points she faced.

Afterward, Wozniacki, who fell to 1-2 in her comeback, conceded she was disappointed.

"In general I didn't think I played very well. I think I didn't really find my rhythm," Wozniacki said. "Didn't feel like I played as I could, but, you know, I tried to fight and it was one break in each set. 

"I just didn't return well enough either. I had nine breakpoints and won none of them. That's just not good enough when you're playing against players on this level. Yeah, we'll have to work on that."



The 33-year-old mother of two is trying to play off her front foot more frequently.

While Wozniacki was encouraged following her 6-2, 7-5 loss to Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in Montreal last week, she didn't play proactive tennis at pivotal points today.



In the pursuit of perfection there is no finish line. Wozniacki said she needs time, patience and more match play to take her game to a higher level, but vows her self-belief remains undiminished.

"I believe in myself, and I believe that I can. Obviously it's just taking me a little bit of time just to get used to the matches again and competing in real tournaments," Wozniacki said. "But, you know, I don't really feel the expectations from everyone else. I think I have always just been, you know, tough on myself. I'm looking for perfection, which is not possible in this sport, but, you know, just gonna work hard and try and play better and better."

Wozniacki said she planned to stay in Cincinnati and hit the practice courts before traveling to New York where she has a wild card for the US Open, which starts on August 28th.

Photo credit: Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images