NEW YORK -- Caroline Wozniacki says that when it comes to the off-the-court business of tennis, she has always looked up to Anna Kournikova.
After the No. 1 seed from Denmark won her third-round match on Saturday over Yung-Jan Chan, setting up a mainstage showdown with Maria Sharapova, Wozniacki was asked if she has been inspired by the marketing and modeling of the glitzy Russian. She had a bit of a surprise answer.
"Well, to be honest, Kournikova was always for me the girl that I thought was just ... I wanted to be like her, definitely," said Wozniacki. "I thought she was very pretty; she was handling everything really nicely. You saw her everywhere in the commercials. I think I would more go for Kournikova."
Kournakova made millions in endorsements, but never won a single tennis tournament -- let alone a Grand Slam. Sharapova, whom Wozniacki will play on Monday in a fourth round match, has won three majors.
While Wozniacki showed respect to Sharapova -- "She's a fighter, she never gives up" she said of her next opponent -- the 20-year-old pointed out that her heroes came from an earlier generation.
"The players that I really admired were Steffi Graf and Martina Hingis," said Wozniacki, in search of her first Grand Slam tournament victory. "Those were the girls that I really looked up to."
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