Not Rotten in Denmark

Caroline Wozniacki, who advanced to tomorrow's Pilot Pen women's finals, is a hero in her native Denmark. Earlier in the month, she became the first Danish native ever to win on the WTA Tour with a victory at the Nordea Nordic Light Open in Stockholm, Sweden.

She sports the colors of her country's flag on her thumbnails to show her pride, but it's a safe bet her country is just as proud of her. A large crowd in her home town of Copenhagen filled an indoor arena to watch her dispatch Russia's Vera Dushevina in the finals at Stockholm.

"There aren't really that many tennis players in Denmark, so there was a lot of focus," Wozniacki noted. "It was a big deal. I only spent a few hours in Denmark before I left for the Olympics … but I heard so many people were cheering for me at home."

Wozniacki lives in Monte Carlo, so she doesn't get a chance to spend much time in Denmark. When she's there, however, she's treated like royalty.

"The people support me so much," she said. "I get more and more attention. People on the streets want my autograph, but in a nice way. It's really nice. It's great to know people are supporting me."

Wozniacki was recently was named as an ambassador for her native country.

"I hope that it will help the younger girls and boys to start playing," she said. "Hopefully, we'll get more good players in the future."

When asked if she was the most popular sports figure in Denmark right now, she said "Sure, one of them."

Wozniacki couldn't think of anyone more popular, which got us to thinking: who is the most accomplished Danish-born athlete? Top of our head, we could only come up with longtime ex-NFL kicker Morten Andersen and current PGA Tour pro Thomas Bjorn.

Can anyone think of any others? Feel free to reply.



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