"Ilithyia" redirects here. The former snout moth genus of that name is now synonymized with Aphomia.

Eileithyia
Birth of Athena (who emerged from Zeus' head) with Eileithyia on the right
Goddess of Childbirth
Abode	Mount Olympus
Parents	Zeus and Hera
Siblings	Ares, Enyo, Eris, Hebe, Hephaestus
Roman equivalent	Lucina (goddess)

Eileithyia^[1] or Ilithyia ( /ɪlɨˈθaɪ.ə/;^[2] Ancient Greek: Εἰλείθυια), was the Cretan goddess adopted into ancient Greek religion and myth as the goddess of childbirth and midwifery.

Etymology and cult[link]

According to some authors her name does not have an Indo-European etymology, which for R. F. Willets^[3] strengthens her link with Minoan culture. "The links between Eileithyia, an earlier Minoan goddess, and a still earlier Neolithic prototype are, relatively, firm," Willets wrote. "The explanation is as simple as it is important. The continuity of her cult depends upon the unchanging concept of her function. Eileithyia was the goddess of childbirth; and the divine helper of women in labour has an obvious origin in the human midwife". Others suggest that the name is Greek, from the verb eleutho (ελεύθω), to bring, the goddess thus being The Bringer^[4]. On the other hand, the variants "Eleuthia" (Cretan) and "Eleuthō" (used by Pindar) suggest a possible connection with "eleutheria" (freedom), in which case the word may simply mean "Deliverer", with an obvious association to childbirth. The earliest form of the name is the Mycenaean Greek e-re-u-ti-ja, written in Linear b syllabic script.^[5] Ilithyia is the latinisation of the Greek Εἰλείθυια.

Hesiod (c. 700 BC) described Eileithyia as a daughter of Hera by Zeus (Theogony 921)—and the Bibliotheca (Roman-era) and Diodorus Siculus (c. 90–27 BC) (5.72.5) agreed. But Pausanias writing in the 2nd century AD reported another early source (now lost): "The Lycian Olen, an earlier poet, who composed for the Delians, among other hymns, one to Eileithyia, styles her 'the clever spinner', clearly identifying her with Fate, and makes her older than Cronus.”^[6] Being the youngest born to Gaia, Cronus was a Titan of the first generation and he was identified as the father of Zeus. Likewise, the meticulously accurate mythographer, Pindar (522–443 BC), also makes no mention of Zeus:

Goddess of childbirth, Eileithyia, maid to the throne of the deep-thinking Moirai, child of all-powerful Hera, hear my song.

—Seventh Nemean Ode.

Later, for the Classical Greeks, "She is closely associated with Artemis and Hera," Burkert asserts (1985, p 1761) "but develops no character of her own." In the Orphic Hymn to Prothyraeia, the association of a goddess of childbirth as an epithet of virginal Artemis, making the death-dealing huntress also "she who comes to the aid of women in childbirth," (Graves 1955 15.a.1), would be inexplicable in purely Olympian terms:

When racked with labour pangs, and sore distressed

the sex invoke thee, as the soul’s sure rest;

for thou Eileithyia alone canst give relief to pain,

which art attempts to ease, but tries in vain.

Artemis Eileithyia, venerable power,

who bringest relief in labour’s dreadful hour.”

—Orphic Hymn 2, to Prothyraeia, as translated by Thomas Taylor, 1792.

Thus Aelian in the 3rd century AD could refer to "Artemis of the child-bed" (On Animals 7.15).

To Homer she is "the goddess of the pains of birth."^[7] The Iliad pictures Eileithyia alone, or sometimes multiplied, as the Eileithyiai:

"The sharp sorrow of pain descends on a woman in labour, the bitterness that the hard Eileithyiai bring on, Hera’s daughters, who hold the power of the bitter birth pangs.”

—Iliad XI.270.^[8]

The Beauty of Durrës, a large 4th century BC mosaic showing the head figure of a woman, probably portrays the goddess Eileithyia.^[9] Vase-painters, when illustrating the birth of Athena from Zeus' head, may show two assisting Eileithyiai, with their hands raised in the epiphany gesture.

Cult at Amnisos[link]

The cave of Eileithyia near Amnisos, the harbor of Knossos, which the Odyssey (xix.198) mentions in connection with her cult, was accounted the birthplace of Eileithyia. The Cretan cave has stalactites suggestive of the goddess' double form (Kerenyi 1976 fig. 6), of bringing labor on and of delaying it, and votive offerings to her have been found establishing the continuity of her cult her from Neolithic times, with a revival as late as the Roman period.^[10] Here she was probably being worshipped before Zeus arrived in the Aegean, but certainly in Minoan-Mycenaean times (Burkert 1985 p 171; Nilsson 1950:53). The goddess is mentioned as Eleuthia in a Linear B fragment from Knossos In classical times, there were shrines to Eileithyia in the Cretan cities of Lato and Eleutherna and a sacred cave at Inatos.

On the Greek mainland, at Olympia, an archaic shrine with an inner cella sacred to the serpent-savior of the city (Sosipolis) and to Eileithyia was seen by the traveller Pausanias in the 2nd century AD (Greece vi.20.1–3); in it a virgin-priestess cared for a serpent that was "fed" on honeyed barley-cakes and water—an offering suited to Demeter. The shrine memorialized the appearance of a crone with a babe in arms, at a crucial moment when Elians were threatened by forces from Arcadia. The child, placed on the ground between the contending forces, changed into a serpent, driving the Arcadians away in flight, before it disappeared into the hill.

There were ancient icons of Eileithyia at Athens, one said to have been brought from Crete, according to Pausanias, who mentioned shrines to Eileithyia in Tegea^[11] and Argos, with an extremely important shrine in Aigion. Eileithyia, along with Artemis and Persephone, is often shown carrying torches to bring children out of darkness and into light: in Roman mythology her counterpart in easing labor is Lucina ("of the light").

In Greek shrines, small terracotta votive figures (kourotrophos) depicted an immortal nurse who took care of divine infants, who may be connected with Eileithyia. According to the Homeric Hymn III to Delian Apollo, Hera detained Eileithyia, who was coming from the Hyperboreans in the far north, to prevent Leto from going into labor with Artemis and Apollo, because the father was Zeus. Hera was very jealous of Zeus's relations with others and went out of her way to make the women suffer. The other goddesses present at the birthing on Delos sent Iris to bring her. As she stepped upon the island, the birth began.

She was especially worshipped in Crete, in the cities Lato and doubtless, from its etymological link, Eleutherna^{[citation needed]}, though no archaeological find has identified her there. Caves were sacred to her: the inescapable association to the birth canal can not be proved beyond a skeptic's doubt.

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Burkert, Walter, Greek Religion, 1985.
• Graves, Robert, The Greek Myths, 1955.
• Kerenyi, Karl, Dionysus: Archetypal Image of Indestructible Life, English translation 1976.
• Nilsson, Martin P. (1927) 1950. The Minoan-Mycenaean Religion and Its Survival in Greek Religion 2nd ed. (Lund"Gleerup).
• Pausanias, Pausanias Description of Greece with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918.
• Willetts, R. F. "Cretan Eileithyia" The Classical Quarterly New Series, 8.3/4 (November 1958), pp. 221–223.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Eileithyia

• Theoi Project - Eileithyia

Stella Nina McCartney (born 13 September 1971) is an English fashion designer. She is the daughter of former Beatles member Sir Paul McCartney and the late photographer and animal rights activist, Linda McCartney.

Early life[link]

Stella McCartney was born in Lambeth, London, England on 13 September 1971, the second child of Beatles bassist Paul McCartney and photographer Linda Eastman. She is named after her maternal great-grandmothers (both of Linda McCartney's grandmothers were named Stella). As a young girl, McCartney travelled the globe with her parents and their pop music group Wings, along with her siblings: older half-sister Heather (who was legally adopted by Paul McCartney), older sister Mary, and younger brother James. According to her father, the name of Wings was inspired by Stella's difficult birth. As his daughter was being born by emergency caesarean section, Paul sat outside the operating room and prayed that she be born "on the wings of an angel."^[1] Wings toured from shortly after her birth in 1971 until 1980.

Despite their fame, the McCartneys wanted their children to lead as normal a life as possible, so Stella and her siblings attended local state schools in East Sussex, one of them being Bexhill College. McCartney has said that while attending state school, she was a victim of bullying,^[2] as well as being a bully herself.^[3]

Career[link]

Beginning[link]

Born and raised in London and the English countryside, Stella McCartney graduated from Central St Martins in 1995. Some say^[who?] that a signature style of sharp tailoring, natural confidence and sexy femininity was apparent in her first collection. In 1997, she was appointed the Creative Director of Chloe in Paris.^{[citation needed]}

Stella McCartney became interested in designing clothes as a youth. At age thirteen, she made her first jacket. Three years later, she interned for Christian Lacroix, working on his first fashion design collection, honing her skills working for Edward Sexton, her father's Savile Row tailor for a number of years.

She studied her foundation at Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication, fashion design at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in the early 1990s. Her graduation collection in 1995 was modelled by friends and supermodels Naomi Campbell, Yasmin Le Bon and Kate Moss – for free – at the graduation runway show. The collection was shown to a song penned by her famous father, called "Stella May Day."^[4] The show made front-page news, and the entire collection was sold to Tokio, a London boutique. The designs were licensed to Browns, Joseph, Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus. In 1998, she designed her sister Mary's wedding dress for her wedding to television producer Alistair Donald.

A lifelong vegetarian, Stella McCartney does not use any leather or fur in her designs. She supports PETA.^[5] Some of McCartney's designs have text that elaborates on her "no animal" policy; for example, one of her jackets for Adidas says, "suitable for sporty vegetarians" on the sleeve. Stella does use wool, silk, and other animal-derived fabrics in her designs.

In March 1997 McCartney was appointed Creative Director of Paris fashion house Chloé, following in the footsteps of Karl Lagerfeld. Lagerfeld was less than impressed with the house's choice, stating, "Chloé should have taken a big name. They did, but in music, not fashion. Let's hope she's as gifted as her father." Despite initial skepticism, McCartney's designs have enjoyed considerable commercial and critical success. She was accompanied to Chloé by her assistant and friend Phoebe Philo, who later replaced her as design director.^{[citation needed]}

In 2001, Stella McCartney launched her own fashion house under her name in a joint venture with Gucci Group (now the PPR Luxury Group) and showed her first collection in Paris. Stella McCartney now operates 17 freestanding stores in locations including Manhattan’s Soho, London’s Mayfair, LA’s West Hollywood, Paris’ Palais Royal and Milan, and recently opened doors in Rome and Miami. Her collections are now distributed in over 50 countries through 600 wholesale accounts including specialty shops and department stores.

In 2003, Stella McCartney launched her first perfume, Stella.

The following awards have recognized Stella McCartney’s achievement in fashion and social awareness: Stella McCartney received the VH1/Vogue Designer of the Year award in 2000, New York. Paul McCartney presented the award to his daughter. She thanked him in her acceptance speech and dedicated the award to her late mother.^[6] In 2000, McCartney designed Madonna's wedding dress for her marriage to Guy Ritchie as well as the Woman of Courage Award for work against cancer at the prestigious Unforgettable Evening event (2003, Los Angeles), the Glamour Award for Best Designer of the Year (2004, London), the Star Honoree at the Fashion Group International Night of the Stars (2004, New York), the Organic Style Woman of the Year Award (2005, New York), the Elle Style Award for Best Designer of the Year Award (2007, London), Best Designer of The Year at the British Style Awards (2007, London), Best Designer of The Year at the Spanish Elle Awards (2008, Barcelona), the Green Designer of the Year at the ACE Awards (2008, New York) and in 2009 she was honoured by the NRDC, featured in the Time 100 and recognized as a Glamour magazine Woman of the Year. Most recently in November 2011 she was presented with the Red Carpet Award by the British Fashion Council.

In January 2007, McCartney launched a skincare line, CARE. The 100% organic line includes seven products, from a cleansing milk made with lemon balm and apricot to green tea and linden blossom floral water.^[7]

In 2008, a new lingerie line was launched.

In November 2010, the Stella McCartney Kids collection was launched for newborns and children up to age 12.

Collaborations[link]

In 2004, she designed clothes for Madonna's Re-Invention Tour, Annie Lennox's summer tour, and Gwyneth Paltrow's and Jude Law's costumes for the film Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.^{[citation needed]}

"Stella McCartney" reads beneath the Adidas logo on this dress worn by Caroline Wozniacki at the 2010 US Open.

She also launched a joint-venture line with Adidas, establishing a long-term partnership with the corporation in September 2004. This line is a sports performance collection for women.^[8] The critically acclaimed sports performance collection “adidas by Stella McCartney,” has since successfully grown to include several athletic disciplines including running, gym, yoga, tennis, swimming, golf, winter sports and triathlon. In September 2010, Stella McCartney was appointed Team GB’s Creative Director for the 2012 Olympics by adidas – the first time in the history of the games that a leading fashion designer has designed the apparel for a country’s team across all competitions for both the Olympic and the Paralympic Games.

In 2005, she designed a range of clothing and accessories for H&M to boost public awareness of her own brand and to create more affordable options for her fans. The line was released in November of that year and sold out almost immediately on launch day in record time.^{[citation needed]} On 12 March 2007, McCartney's limited edition 42-piece range was released to just 100 Target stores exclusively in Australia. The range was priced from $30 for a silk scarf to $200 for a taffeta trench coat.^{[citation needed]}

In January 2008, McCartney's collaboration with lingerie label Bendon was scheduled to be released to department stores, speciality stores and Stella McCartney stores.^{[citation needed]} McCartney was also scheduled, in early 2008, to release a line of handbags for LeSportsac. The collection has 30–40 styles and priced at $200–500. The collection consists of travel bags, luggage, baby accessories and bags for mothers with infants and toddlers. The line is sold at high end retailers, the Los Angeles and New York Stella McCartney stores, select LeSportsac boutiques, and will be available for purchase online.

Since starting her own label, McCartney has also collaborated on projects with several artists including Gary Hume, R. Crumb, Jeff Koons, David Remfry and Ed Ruscha.^{[citation needed]}

In January 2010, McCartney announced she would be collaborating with Disney to create an Alice in Wonderland-inspired jewelry collection.^[9]

In September 2010, Stella McCartney was appointed Team GB’s Creative Director for the 2012 Olympics by Adidas. The uniforms will be worn by athletes in the British Olympic and Paralympic teams who are competing in the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.^[10] This was the first time that a leading fashion designer has designed the apparel for a country’s team across all competitions for both the Olympic and the Paralympic Games. In March 2012 the Team GB kit was publicly displayed.^[10]

In October 2010, Stella relaunched her Designers for Target range in Australia. Priced at AU$30–249, it proved less popular than its previous iteration.^{[citation needed]} Refunds for the products have been significant.^{[citation needed]}

In July 2011 she participated at the catwalk of The Brandery fashion show in Barcelona.^[11]

In September 2011 Stella McCartney’s costume designs for the New York City Ballet’s Ocean’s Kingdom premiered in New York.

Criticism[link]

McCartney has always claimed that she would have been a famous fashion designer even if her father had not been Paul McCartney. Vogue magazine wrote that "her first collection for the house Chloé, shown in Paris in October 1997, quickly dispelled any doubts about her talent."^[12]

In November 2007, Stella designed a silver necklace featuring a single leg, an apparent attack on her father's estranged wife Heather Mills, an amputee. Fashion insiders thought it was "edgy", but also a bit "out of order".^[13]

Personal life[link]

McCartney married British publisher Alasdhair Willis on 30 August 2003 on the Isle of Bute. McCartney's wedding dress was an updated version of her mother's wedding dress from her March 1969 marriage ceremony to Paul McCartney.^[12] McCartney and Willis have four children: sons Miller Alasdhair James Willis (born 2005)^[14] and Beckett Robert Lee Willis in London (born 2008)^[15] and daughters Bailey Linda Olwyn Willis (born 2006)^[16][17] and Reiley Dilys Stella Willis (born 2010).^[18]

Stella has a much younger half-sister, Beatrice Milly McCartney, born on 28 October 2003 to her father and his second wife, Heather Mills.^[19]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• adidas by Stella McCartney
• Stella McCartney at the Internet Movie Database
• Stella McCartney designer profile at Fashion Model Directory
• Hello! Magazine profile
• Biography at Jewish Virtual Library
• "Baby, You're A Star", Christa D'Souza; 1999
• Bloomberg - Meatpacking District Draws Levi’s, Loses McCartney
• "YSL and Balenciaga Will Be Joining Stella McCartney in Soho" Racked

Caroline Wozniacki

Wozniacki at the 2009 US Open
Country	Denmark
Residence	Monte Carlo, Monaco
Born	(1990-07-11) 11 July 1990 (age 21) Odense, Denmark
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in)[1]
Weight	58 kg (128 lb; 9 st 2 lb)[1]
Turned pro	18 July 2005[1]
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)[1]
Career prize money	$ 12,444,751[1]
Official web site	www.carolinewozniacki.dk
Singles
Career record	318–117[1]
Career titles	18 WTA, 4 ITF
Highest ranking	No. 1 (11 October 2010)
Current ranking	No. 9 (28 May 2012)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open	SF (2011)
French Open	QF (2010)
Wimbledon	4R (2009, 2010, 2011)
US Open	F (2009)
Other tournaments
Championships	F (2010)
Olympic Games	3R (2008)
Doubles
Career record	36–54[1]
Career titles	2 WTA, 0 ITF
Highest ranking	No. 52 (14 September 2009)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open	2R (2008)
French Open	2R (2010)
Wimbledon	2R (2009, 2010)
US Open	3R (2009)
Last updated on: 28 May 2012.

Caroline Wozniacki (born 11 July 1990) is a Danish professional tennis player. She is a former world no. 1 on the WTA Tour. As of 23 January 2012, she held this position for 67 weeks.^[5] She is the first Scandinavian woman to hold the top ranking position and 20th overall.^[6]

Since her WTA debut in 2005, she has improved her year-end ranking each year until finishing on top in both 2010 and 2011. She has won 18 WTA singles titles as of August 2011, three in 2008, three in 2009, six in 2010 (the most since Justine Henin's ten in 2007),^[7] and six in 2011. She was runner-up at the 2009 US Open and the 2010 WTA Tour Championships in Doha to Kim Clijsters. She won the 2006 Wimbledon Girls' Singles title but has yet to win a women's Grand Slam title. She also holds two WTA titles in doubles.

Early life[link]

Wozniacki is the daughter of Polish Roman Catholic^[8] immigrants, Piotr and Anna Wozniacki.^[9] Anna played on the Polish women's national volleyball team,^[10] and Piotr played professional football. The couple moved to Denmark when Piotr signed for the Danish football club Boldklubben 1909.^[9][11] Wozniacki's older brother Patrik Wozniacki is a professional footballer for Hvidovre IF in Denmark.^[10]

Playing style[link]

Wozniacki's playing style centers "around the defensive aspects of tennis with her anticipation, movement, agility, footwork and defence all first-rate and key parts of her game."^[12] Her two-handed backhand is one of her best weapons as she is capable of turning defense into offense, most notably the backhand down-the-line. Her defensive playing style has her contemporaries label her a counter-puncher.^{[citation needed]}

Sponsors[link]

In 2009, Wozniacki signed on to become an endorser for the line of tennis apparel designed by Stella McCartney for adidas. She wore her first adidas by Stella McCartney tennis dress at the 2009 US Open.^[13] She also has sponsorship agreements with Compeed, Danske Invest, Oriflame, Turkish Airlines, Proactiv, Sony Ericsson, Yonex and e-Boks.^[14]

Career[link]

This section may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may only interest a specific audience. Please help relocate any relevant information, and remove excessive detail that may be against Wikipedia inclusion policy. (December 2011)

2005[link]

Wozniacki won several junior tournaments in 2005, including the Orange Bowl tennis championship.^[15] She made her debut on the WTA Tour at Cincinnati's Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open on 19 July 2005, losing to the top-seeded and eventual champion Patty Schnyder in the first round. In the Nordea Nordic Light Open, her other WTA tournament of the year, she lost to Martina Suchá in the first round.

2006[link]

In 2006, she was the top seed at the Australian Open (junior girls' singles), but lost the final to eighth-seeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia. She was seeded second with partner Anna Tatishvili in the doubles tournament, but the pair was knocked out in the semifinals by the French-Italian pair of Alizé Cornet and Corinna Dentoni, who were seeded eighth.

In February at the Memphis, she reached her first WTA Tour quarterfinal, beating Kristina Brandi and Ashley Harkleroad, before losing to third-seeded Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden.

Wozniacki during the Junior Wimbledon final

Before the Wimbledon, Wozniacki won the exhibition tournament Liverpool International Tennis Tournament, beating Ashley Harkleroad in the finals.^[16]

Later that year, she was given a wild card to the qualifying draw at Wimbledon, where she was beaten in the first round by Miho Saeki. However, Wozniacki went on to win the girls' singles tournament, beating Slovak Magdaléna Rybáriková in the finals.

In August, she reached another WTA Tour quarterfinal, this time at the Nordea Nordic Light Open in Stockholm. She defeated top-100 players Iveta Benešová and Eleni Daniilidou, before falling to eventual champion and third-seeded Zheng Jie.

Wozniacki was seeded second in Girls' Singles in the year's last major tournament. In the first round, she won the first set against Russian Alexandra Panova, but was disqualified in the second set for verbally abusing an umpire. Wozniacki was said to have used an expletive in referring to a linesman who made a disputed call.^[17] However, on her blog, she claimed to have said, "take your sunglasses of [sic]" and was mistaken for talking to the linesman, when she in fact was criticizing herself after the next point.^[18]

In her last junior tournament, the Osaka Mayor's Cup, she won both the girls' singles and doubles.^[19]

Her first title on the senior tour came shortly after on 29 October, when she won the $25,000 ITF-tournament in Istanbul by beating Tatjana Malek in the final.

Wozniacki was set to face Venus Williams on 27 November in an exhibition match in Copenhagen,^[20] but five days before the event, Williams canceled because of an injury.^[21] The two did, however, face each other in the Memphis WTA Tier III event on 20 February. Williams beat Wozniacki, ending a nine-match winning streak for Wozniacki.

On 29 November, Wozniacki was named ambassador for Danish Junior Tennis by the Culture Minister of Denmark at the time, Brian Mikkelsen.^[22]

2007[link]

On 4 February, she won a $75,000 ITF singles title in Ortisei, Italy, beating Italian Alberta Brianti.^[23] On 4 March, she won the $75,000 ITF tournament in Las Vegas, beating top-seed Akiko Morigami in the final.

She obtained a wild card for the Pacific Life Open main draw and made her Tier I debut there. She was knocked out in the second round by Martina Hingis.

She then made the semifinals of the AIG Open in Tokyo in October, her first career WTA Tour semifinal, and as a result became the first Danish woman to reach a WTA semifinal since Tine Scheuer-Larsen at Bregenz in 1986. She was defeated by Venus Williams in straight sets.

2008[link]

At 2008 US Open

At the Australian Open, Wozniacki defeated Gisela Dulko and 21st seed Alona Bondarenko on her way to the round of 16, where she lost to the eventual finalist and fourth-seeded Ana Ivanović.

At the French Open, she was seeded 30th, making this the first Grand Slam tournament in which Wozniacki was seeded. She again lost in the third round to the eventual champion and world no. 2 Ana Ivanović.

At Wimbledon, she reached the third round, but lost to second-seeded Jelena Janković.^[24]

Wozniacki won her first WTA Tour title at the Nordic Light Open in Stockholm without dropping a set, defeating fifth seed Anabel Medina Garrigues in the quarterfinals, top seed and world no. 10, Agnieszka Radwańska in the semifinals, and Vera Dushevina in the final.

At the Summer Olympics in Beijing, she beat world no. 12 Daniela Hantuchová in the second round, before falling to the eventual gold-medalist Elena Dementieva. Wozniacki then won her second WTA Tour title at the Pilot Pen Tennis in New Haven, defeating four seeded players, Dominika Cibulková, Marion Bartoli, and Alizé Cornet, en route to the final, where she defeated world no. 11 Anna Chakvetadze.

Wozniacki was the 21st seed at the US Open. She defeated world no. 14 Victoria Azarenka in the third round, but lost to second-seeded and eventual runner-up Jelena Janković in the fourth round.

At the China Open, she lost her opening match to Anabel Medina Garrigues. However, she teamed up with Medina Garrigues to clinch the doubles title, defeating the Chinese duo of Han Xinyun and Xu Yi-Fan. It was Wozniacki's first WTA doubles title. At the Tier III AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships, she was the top seed for the first time on the WTA Tour, and she won her third career title, defeating Kaia Kanepi of Estonia in the final.

Wozniacki then took part in the e-Boks Odense Open in her hometown of Odense. She won the tournament, beating world no. 64 Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden in the final.

Her final win–loss record for the year (ITF matches included, exhibition matches not included) was 58–20 in singles and 8–9 in doubles. She ended the year ranked 12th in singles and 79th in doubles. She finished thirteenth in the race for the Sony Ericsson Championships. She also won the WTA Newcomer of the Year award for 2008.^[25]

2009[link]

Wozniacki reached 8 finals winning 3 in 2009

Wozniacki started the season in Auckland, where she lost to Elena Vesnina in the quarterfinals. She also reached the quarterfinals in Sydney, this time losing to world no. 2 Serena Williams after having three match points. Seeded 11th at the Australian Open, Wozniacki lost in the third round to Australian wild card Jelena Dokić.

In Pattaya, Wozniacki lost to Magdaléna Rybáriková in the quarterfinals. Seeded first at the Cellular South Cup in Memphis, Tennessee, Wozniacki advanced to the final, but lost to Victoria Azarenka. Afterwards, they partnered in the doubles final to defeat Michaëlla Krajicek and Yuliana Fedak.

Wozniacki then took part in the first two Premier Mandatory tournaments of the year. At Indian Wells, she lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Vera Zvonareva. In Miami, she scored her first win over Elena Dementieva, before losing to another Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals.

Wozniacki won her first title of the year at the MPS Group Championships on green clay in Ponte Vedra Beach, where she defeated Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak. In Charleston, she defeated top seed Elena Dementieva in the semifinals, before losing the final to Sabine Lisicki.

Wozniacki suffered early exits in her next two tournaments, losing to Marion Bartoli in the second round in Stuttgart, and to Victoria Azarenka in the third round in Rome. She reached the final of the inaugural Premier Mandatory Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open, where she lost to world no. 1 Dinara Safina. This was Wozniacki's only match against a reigning no. 1 before she herself became no. 1 in October 2010. Seeded 10th at the French Open, Wozniacki lost to Sorana Cîrstea in the third round. They partnered in doubles, but lost in the first round.

Wozniacki won her second 2009 title on the grass of Eastbourne. In the final, she defeated Virginie Razzano.^[26] Wozniacki was seeded ninth at Wimbledon, where she lost to Sabine Lisicki in the fourth round.

Wozniacki reached her first Grand Slam final at the US Open

On her 19th birthday, she lost the final of the Swedish Open to María José Martínez Sánchez. On hard court at the LA Women's Tennis Championships, she lost in the second round to Sorana Cîrstea. At the Cincinnati Masters, she reached the quarterfinals, before falling to Elena Dementieva. In Toronto, she lost early in the second round to Zheng Jie, but she then went on to defend her title at the Pilot Pen Tennis in New Haven without losing a set. In the first round, she had her first double bagel win as a professional, 6–0, 6–0, over Edina Gallovits in 41 minutes. In the final, she beat Elena Vesnina for her third title of the season.

Wozniacki was the ninth seed at the US Open. She made her best result to date by becoming the first Danish woman to reach a Grand Slam final. There, she was defeated by Kim Clijsters, who had recently made a comeback after retiring in 2007.

In the second round of the Toray Pan Pacific Open, she retired because of a viral illness down 0–5 against Aleksandra Wozniak. She then lost to María José Martínez Sánchez in the first round of the China Open, and to Samantha Stosur in the semifinals in Osaka. The following week in Luxembourg, she retired with a hamstring injury in the first round, while leading 7–5, 5–0 over Anne Kremer. This aroused controversy because of the scoreline.^[27]

Wozniacki's 2009 results qualified her for the year-end Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha for the first time. She won two of three group matches and advanced to the semifinals. There she struggled with a stomach strain and a left thigh injury against world no. 1 Serena Williams, and retired while trailing 6–4, 0–1.^[28]

2010[link]

In her first WTA tournament of the year, Wozniacki suffered an opening-round loss to Li Na of China in the Sydney. She was seeded fourth at the Australian Open, her first top-eight seed in a Grand Slam. She again fell to Li, this time in the fourth round, in straight sets. Despite her fourth-round exit, Wozniacki achieved a career-high ranking of no. 3.

As the second seed at Indian Wells, Wozniacki reached the final before losing to former world no. 1 Jelena Janković. With this result, she achieved a new career-high ranking of world no. 2.^[29] At the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Wozniacki lost in the quarterfinals to the newly returned Justine Henin.

Her next tournament was in Ponte Vedra Beach, where she defeated Olga Govortsova in the final. Wozniacki then competed at the Family Circle Cup in Charleston. She advanced to the semifinals, where she met Vera Zvonareva. Wozniacki was forced to retire down 2–5, after she rolled her ankle while chasing down a short ball.^[30][31]

Despite her ongoing ankle injury, she continued to compete in tournaments through the clay-court season, suffering early losses in Stuttgart, Rome, and Madrid. She then reached the quarterfinals in Warsaw, but retired there after losing the first set.^[32]

Wozniacki was seeded third at the French Open. She posted her best result at Roland Garros by advancing to the fourth round without dropping a set. After defeating Flavia Pennetta in the round of 16 in three sets, she lost to eventual champion Francesca Schiavone in the quarterfinals. Wozniacki partnered with Daniela Hantuchová in doubles, but they withdrew before their second round match against the Williams sisters because of a right shoulder injury to Hantuchová.

As the defending champion, Wozniacki lost early at the AEGON International, her first grass-court tournament of the year, to Aravane Rezaï. Wozniacki was seeded third at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, where she defeated Tathiana Garbin, Chang Kai-chen, and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova en route to the fourth round, where she was defeated by Petra Kvitová.

Wozniacki was the first seed at the inaugural 2010 e-Boks Danish Open. It was the first Danish WTA tournament, created largely out of Wozniacki's popularity in Denmark. She reached the final, and she defeated Klára Zakopalová to win her second title of the year.

In Cincinnati, she lost in the third round to Marion Bartoli. As the second seed in Montreal, Wozniacki was forced to wait two days to play her semifinal match with Svetlana Kuznetsova because of heavy rain. She defeated both Kuznetsova and Vera Zvonareva on the same day for her third singles title of the year. As the top seed in New Haven, Wozniacki defeated Nadia Petrova in the final for her third consecutive title there. By virtue of this, she also won the 2010 US Open Series.

Wozniacki in the 2010 US Open

Wozniacki was the top seed at the US Open due to the withdrawal of world no. 1 Serena Williams. She advanced to the semifinals, before being upset by Vera Zvonareva. With her semifinal appearance, Wozniacki became one of only two women (the other being Venus Williams) to have reached at least the fourth round of all four Grand Slam events in 2010.^[33]

Wozniacki's first tournament during the Asian hard-court season was the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. She won back-to-back three setters against Victoria Azarenka and Elena Dementieva, the latter of whom she beat in the final to win her fifth title of the year.

She then entered the China Open in Beijing. In the third round, Wozniacki faced Petra Kvitová, who had routed her at Wimbledon. Wozniacki avenged that loss, which ensured that she would replace Serena Williams as the new world no. 1 after the tournament. She was the fifth player to reach the no. 1 position without having won a Grand Slam tournament. She also became the first Danish player, man or woman, to reach the top ranking.^[34] Wozniacki ultimately won the tournament, defeating Vera Zvonareva in the final to win her sixth title of the year and twelfth overall.

At the year-end Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha, Wozniacki was drawn in a group with Francesca Schiavone, Samantha Stosur, and Elena Dementieva. She defeated Dementieva in her first round-robin game, but lost to Stosur in the second. She won her last round-robin match in the group against Schiavone, securing the year-end world no. 1 rank and a place in the semifinals against the winner of the other group, Vera Zvonareva. Wozniacki defeated her, but then lost the final in three sets to Kim Clijsters. Wozniacki ended the season with six WTA singles titles, the most on the tour. Clijsters won five, and no other player won more than two.

2011[link]

Caroline Wozniacki serving in the New Haven Open

During the off season, Wozniacki switched her racquet make from Babolat to Yonex.^[35] Wozniacki began her 2011 season with an exhibition match in Thailand against Kim Clijsters where she lost in a super tie-break.^[36] Wozniacki then played another exhibition, the team Hong Kong Tennis Classic, where she represented and was captain of Team Europe. She won two matches against Team Asia Pacific, before getting crushed by world no. 2 Vera Zvonareva in the final against Team Russia.^[37] Her first WTA tournament was the Medibank International Sydney. She received a bye to the second round, where she lost to Dominika Cibulková.

The Australian Open was Wozniacki's first major as world no. 1.^[38] She lost to Li Na in the semifinals after failing to convert a match point when trying to serve out the match at 5–4 in the second set.

Wozniacki dropped to no. 2 behind Kim Clijsters during the week of 14 February, but regained the top spot the following week. She received a bye to the second round in Dubai where, in the quarterfinals, she beat Shahar Pe'er to ensure her no. 1 position in the next rankings update.^[39] She went on to defeat Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final to take her 13th career singles title and first of the year.

In Doha, she received a bye to the second round and reached the final, after defeating Nadia Petrova, Flavia Pennetta, and Marion Bartoli in straight sets. She lost to Vera Zvonareva in the final.

In the first Premier Mandatory event of the year in Indian Wells, Wozniacki made it to the final, where she defeated Marion Bartoli for her 14th singles title.

After a first-round bye at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Florida, Wozniacki lost in the fourth round to 21st seed Andrea Petkovic. Wozniacki made an uncharacteristic 52 unforced errors and later cited exhaustion as a factor in the loss.

In the Family Circle Cup, Wozniacki made it to the final, where she defeated unseeded Elena Vesnina to take her third title of the year, 15th of her career.

In Stuttgart, Wozniacki made it to her fifth final of the year, where she lost to Julia Görges in straight sets.

In Madrid, Wozniacki lost to Görges again, this time in the third round. In Rome, she lost to eventual champion Maria Sharapova in the semifinal round.

At the Brussels Open, Wozniacki reached the semifinals, where she defeated third seed and reigning French Open champion, Francesca Schiavone.^[40] In the final, Wozniacki's sixth of the year, she defeated eighth seed Peng Shuai to win her first red clay title, after having won three on the faster green clay.^[41]

Wozniacki was the top seed at the French Open, but was defeated in the third round by 28th seed Daniela Hantuchová.^[42]

Wozniacki's next tournament was the e-Boks Sony Ericsson Open in her native Denmark. In the final, she defeated fourth seed Lucie Šafářová, taking her fifth title of the year.^[43] At Wimbledon, she had straight-set wins until the fourth round, but then lost to 24th seed Dominika Cibulková.^[44]

Caroline Wozniacki accepting the winners trophy at the New Haven Open

At the Rogers Cup Wozniacki made an early second-round exit. She was defeated by Roberta Vinci in straight sets despite holding a 5–1 lead in the second set. Wozniacki was the top seed at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, but lost in the second round to world no. 76 Christina McHale. Next playing at the New Haven Open at Yale, Wozniacki won the title for the fourth year in a row, defeating Francesca Schiavone in the semifinals and qualifier Petra Cetkovská in the final.^[45]

At the US Open, Wozniacki was the first seed. In the first round, she defeated Nuria Llagostera Vives. In the second round, Wozniacki defeated Arantxa Rus,^[46] and in the third round, defeated American Vania King.^[47] In the fourth round, Wozniacki fought back from a 7–6, 4–1 deficit, defeating Svetlana Kuznetsova.^[48] Wozniacki then progressed to the semifinals by defeating Andrea Petkovic in the quarterfinals.^[49] In the semifinals she lost to Serena Williams.^[50]

In Tokyo Wozniacki lost to Kaia Kanepi in the third round. In Beijing she lost to Flavia Pennetta in the quarterfinals. This was Wozniacki's only loss in the 12 quarterfinals she reached in 2011.

Wozniacki was the top seed at the WTA Championships. In the group stage she beat Agnieszka Radwańska before falling to Vera Zvonareva. She lost also to Petra Kvitová in her final round-robin match and so she failed to advance to semifinals for the first time in three appearances. After the withdrawal of Maria Sharapova, Wozniacki was certain to finish the year as world no. 1 for the second consecutive year.

2012[link]

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (March 2012)

Wozniacki began her season by representing Denmark at the 2012 Hopman Cup with Frederik Nielsen as her partner. Wozniacki won two of her three round robin matches in singles, defeating Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Tsvetana Pironkova before losing to the World No. 2 Petra Kvitová in three sets.

Wozniacki's next event was the 2012 Apia International Sydney. After a first round bye, Wozniacki defeated Dominika Cibulková (whom she had lost to in the same round of the event last year) in three sets after trailing 4–0 in the final set. She lost to World No. 8 Agnieszka Radwańska in three sets in the quarterfinals, after serving for the match at 5–4 up in the second set.

Wozniacki competed at the 2012 Australian Open as the top seed. Wozniacki defeated Anastasia Rodionova, Anna Tatishvili, Monica Niculescu and Jelena Janković all in straight sets to reach the quarterfinals where she lost to former World No. 1 Kim Clijsters. As a result Wozniacki lost her top ranking and was replaced by Victoria Azarenka. Next playing at Doha, Wozniacki lost to Lucie Safarova in the second round, having received a first round bye.

Wozniacki was the defending champion in Dubai and Indian Wells but failed to defend either title, losing to Julia Georges and Ana Ivanovic respectively. Following her loss at Indian Wells, Wozniacki fell out of the Top 5 for the first time since 2009.

Wozniacki was seeded fourth in Miami, and reached the semifinals by beating Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová, Petra Cetkovska, Yanina Wickmayer and Serena Williams, all in straight sets. Wozniacki was then beaten by second seed Maria Sharapova, 4–6, 6–2, 6–4. Wozniacki did not defend her title in Charleston as she was not allowed to participate under WTA rules because two Top-6 players had already entered the draw. Wozniacki then played at the tournament in her home town of Copenhagen. She defeated Urszula Radwanska, Pauline Parmentier, Alize Cornet, and Petra Martic. She lost her first match at the tournament losing to Angelique Kerber in the final 6–4 6–4.

Personal life[link]

Wozniacki's best friend is her fellow Danish tennis player Malou Ejdesgaard, who has been her doubles partner in five tournaments.^[51] They are trying to gain entry to the 2012 Summer Olympics in doubles.^[52]

When asked in 2008 by Teen Vogue magazine what sports beside tennis she liked to play, Wozniacki said "I like handball, soccer, swimming, playing the piano, and all kinds of different things."^[53]

On 20 December 2010, she signed a three-year deal to endorse Turkish Airlines' business class service.^[54][55]

Wozniacki is a Liverpool supporter. She wore a Liverpool shirt signed by footballer Steven Gerrard on court in the 2011 Qatar Ladies Open.^[56]

According to Forbes in 2011 she was the second highest earning female athlete in the world.^[57]

According to the June 2011 edition of SportsPro Wozniacki is the world's ninth most marketable athlete.^[58]

She is currently dating professional golfer Rory McIlroy.^[59]

Career statistics[link]

Grand Slam finals[link]

Singles: 1 (0–1)[link]

Outcome	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Runner-up	2009	US Open	Hard	Kim Clijsters	7–5, 6–3

Singles performance timeline[link]

Awards[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Tennis portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Caroline Wozniacki

• Official website
• Caroline Wozniacki at the Women's Tennis Association
• Caroline Wozniacki at the International Tennis Federation
• Caroline Wozniacki at the International Tennis Federation Junior Profile
• Caroline Wozniacki at the Fed Cup
• Caroline Wozniacki at the Internet Movie Database
• Caroline Wozniacki on Twitter

Caroline Wozniacki (Achievement predecessor & successor) Sporting positions Preceded by Serena Williams Kim Clijsters World No. 1 11 October 2010 – 13 February 2011 21 February 2011 – 30 January 2012 Succeeded by Kim Clijsters Victoria Azarenka Preceded by Elena Dementieva US Open Series Champion 2010 Succeeded by Serena Williams Awards Preceded by Ágnes Szávay WTA Newcomer of the Year 2008 Succeeded by Melanie Oudin Preceded by Serena Williams ITF Women's Singles World Champion 2010 Succeeded by Petra Kvitová Preceded by Samantha Stosur Diamond Aces 2011 Succeeded by Incumbent