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Marathon training helps Wozniacki go the distance

CAROLINE Wozniacki said training for a marathon had given her the edge Tuesday after she won a three-hour WTA Finals slugfest with Maria Sharapova -- and had energy left to spare.

Wozniacki suffered body cramps after a three-setter with Victoria Azarenka in the 2009 season finale, but she had no such problems in Singapore as she breezed through one of the year's longest matches.

The Dane originally planned to marry golf star Rory McIlroy next month but after their break-up, she signed on for the New York marathon instead.

"I just feel like right now with all the training and running I've been doing I can keep being out there and keep running," she said.

"I kept thinking to myself out there in the third set, 'If you're going to get tired now, how are you going to get through this marathon? You better keep going.'

"I did, and I felt pretty good out there. I felt I could still keep going for a while."

Wozniacki's 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (5/7), 6-2 clocked in at three hours and 13 minutes, just 16 minutes shy of the tournament's longest ever match between Agnieszka Radwanska and Sara Errani in 2012.

She said the marathon training, unusual for a professional athlete in the prime of their career, was probably a one-off and not highly recommended for tennis players.

"I probably wouldn't recommend it to other players. It's helped, but I don't think it's something that I want to do every year," she said.

"Running a marathon and doing this much running, it's not easy. I think to do it once while you're playing is enough. I think because I find it so exciting and I'm looking forward to running, I think that also keeps me going.

"At the same time, it gets me in great shape. To do it year in and year out, I don't think it's possible. Our bodies get a beating already. I don't think it's necessary to do this again while I'm on tour."




 

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