Caroline Wozniacki has fired her coach, Thomas Hogstedt, after just a few months together and hired Danish coach Michael Mortensen. The Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet reported that Wozniacki dismissed Hogstedt after the coach went on holiday, rather than accompanying her to train in Dubai.
Wozniacki was optimistic about the partnership after she hired Hogstedt to coach her for this season. Hogstedt previously coached Maria Sharapova for two-and-a-half years before they separated last July. He began working with Wozniacki in November.
Hogstedt has had a close friendship with Wozniacki's father and former coach, Piotr, who said at the end of last season that he was going to back off and allow Hogstedt to serve as her sole coach. However, Piotr attended the Australian Open and incurred a warning for coaching his daughter during one of her matches.
Former No. 1 Wozniacki has been primarily coached by her father during her career. She's also worked with Ricardo Sanchez, Thomas Johansson, and Hogstedt, but none of them lasted more than a few months on the job.
Mortensen, who coached Li Na to the 2011 Roland Garros title, told Ekstra Bladet that “good things will happen” with Woznaicki, whom he coached for a time as junior.
“She needs to get her joy in playing back - both in matches and on the practice court,” he said. “A lot has happened with her game, but I'd like to see more of the old Caro. I'd like to see a fusion of the old Caroline with the new Caroline. From the latest I've seen of her from watching her matches, there have been a lot of flat shots without any pace changes, something she earlier was a master at. She's shouldn't be just another one of the players on the tour who just hit hard. She needs to use more facets. She is a great strategist. She needs to get comfortable again with her game.”