• Dane takes on Kristie Ahn in final grand slam before retiring • Konta may stand in way of record-chasing Serena Williams
Caroline Wozniacki has done just about everything in tennis – except walk away. So it was striking on the eve of her farewell at the tournament where she won her only slam that the Dane declared she had no idea how she would handle her emotions when she walks out to play Kristie Ahn, the world No 92 coming off a first-round loss in qualifying in Auckland.
Such a fixture would not normally induce apprehension in a player who only two years ago briefly returned to No 1 in the world after winning the
Australian Open. But the 29-year-old Wozniacki, who used to run marathons for fun and was long regarded as one of the fittest players in the game, has endured struggle at just the time when she ought to be enjoying her best years.