"I never think about my brand," Caroline Wozniacki tells *The Wall Street Journal*. "I want to do well for myself and my sponsors ... but I feel no pressure, because I don't play for the money."
That idea she posits is much more believable after the WSJ's amusing reveal that she collected her personal belongings, her runner-up trophy, and all her gear after losing the U.S. Open women's singles final to Serena Williams earlier this month—and later returned rather sheepishly to the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center to lay claim to her prize check.
It wasn't akin to Serena's $4 million payday (that thanks to both winning the event and also seizing the U.S. Open Series crown), but not many of us commoners would scoff at $1.45 million after two weeks of work.
While other top-tier beauties in tennis ink designer sponsorship deals and pose for glossy magazine shoots, Wozniacki offers that she loves tennis for the competition and the victories on court. She also allows elsewhere in the WSJ piece that she could happily walk away from the sport tomorrow if the right opportunity to do something else presented itself.
That may seem hard to believe. Even so, in this age of personal "global" brands, something Pam Shriver is quoted as wondering whether Wozniacki will build, and players-turned–TV-talking-heads, it's refreshing to see the Dane doesn't always have dollar signs in her eyes. Doesn't do everything for the monetary gain it will profit her. "Must be the money!" exclaimed one of yesteryear's hip-hop stars. Now he's a thing of the past—and Wozniacki, she all but springs eternal.
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