Wozniacki opens up about breakup with McIlroy: 'I definitely learned a lot about myself'

Caroline Wozniacki was tired of being asked about Rory McIlroy.

"I don’t want to have my name stuck with him forever," Wozniacki said last month, just before the start of the U.S. Open. 

The 24-year-old Dane had been badgered with questions about her ex-fiancé, the top-ranked golfer in the world, ever since his phone-relayed wedding cancellation/breakup in May became public knowledge. 

In the immediate aftermath, with Wozniacki struggling mightily, the details of her personal life proved difficult to dust from the public consciousness. But a surprise run to the U.S. Open final, her first at a Grand Slam since 2009, gave people reason to talk about Wozniacki as more than just some character in a celebrity drama. For the first time in months, it seemed like they were ready to talk about her as a tennis player again. 

Now, Wozniacki appears more comfortable opening up about her relationship and its fallout, on her own terms, without the scrutiny following her onto the court. 

"I was shocked," she told the Independent, referring to McIlroy's fateful phone call. "I thought at least I would get a face-to-face or something but there was nothing. It was just a phone call and then I did not hear from him again.

"It kind of just ended and I don't think you expect yourself to be in a situation like that. You can't prepare yourself."

She went on to explain that a subsequent holiday in Miami with good friend Serena Williams  - who beat her in the U.S. Open final - helped her immensely.

"I felt refreshed and I felt a new self," she said. 

Now, looking back on the whole ordeal, Wozniacki feels like she's gained a sense of perspective:

"It's taught me a lot. I definitely learned a lot about myself, about relationships... I'm definitely on the other side now... I've moved on."