After months of speculation, former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki tells Ekstra Bladet that she has hired Thomas Hogstedt as her new coach.
Hogstedt split with four-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova after Wimbledon, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family. The Swede and Wozniacki confirmed their partnership just before the U.S. Open, but decided to hold off on the announcement.
Wozniacki has been mostly coached by her father, Piotr, since she was a junior, although she did bring in coaches Ricardo Sanchez and Thomas Johansson for brief stints when she began to slump in 2012 and 2013. The Dane has known Hogstedt since the juniors and her father is said to like his coaching style.
“I am excited to start training with Thomas,” Wozniacki told Ekstra Bladet. “I’m ready to develop my game and to work harder than ever before. I know I can also be a player who can win a Grand Slam. Thomas is very professional and positive. He is tough and pushes you to the limit. He has done a good job with both Li Na and Sharapova.”
Hogstedt was coaching Li when she upset then-No. 1 Wozniacki in the semifinals of the 2011 Australian Open; the Dane failed to convert a match point and lost in three sets. For the second year in a row, Wozniacki was unable to reach the quarterfinals of a major. She finished the year ranked No. 10.
“I very much look forward to my new challenge as coach of Caroline and to improve her game,” Hogstedt told Ekstra Bladet. “Together we will try to reach a level where she can win a Grand Slam.”
Sharapova, who has only played one match since Wimbledon due to shoulder trouble, is expected to name a new coach shortly. Her brief coaching experiment with Jimmy Connors did not pan out.