‘Wozzilroy’ looking good as Rory courting his tennis love

Are Caroline Wozniacki and Rory McIlroy an item again?

There has been endless speculation in recent weeks that the former world number one tennis player and the golfing equivalent ended their two-year relationship.

The Dane last night posted a picture of McIlroy showing some impressive skills on a tennis court. She tweeted: “Feels good to get back at it! Even @McIlroyRory put some good work in.”

The picture came 24 hours after McIlroy bemoaned the off-course distractions that have forced him to replace winning golf titles with making trips to legal offices and fielding questions about his relationship with the tennis ace. McIlroy is without a victory in 2013 as he returns to Dubai to defend the last title he captured, the World Tour Championship, and has slipped to number six in the world rankings.

In the intervening 12 months, he has become tied up in legal wrangles against his former management company, Horizon Sports Management, and another against former sponsor Oakley.

However his friend Graeme McDowell, a member of the Horizon stable, believes McIlroy should be given time and space to adapt to life as one of the most high profile sportsmen on the planet.

“I think when you have a balance in your life, certainly off the course, that really frees up the mind and body to perform on the golf course,” said McDowell.

“I know that when I have my ducks in a row off the course, I’m a much happier man on it.

“Rory is a very talented young man. We all go through learning curves and experience things that throw us outside of our comfort zone. I can’t really relate to what he has experienced this year.

“He’s certainly in a different echelon to where I have ever been in my career; the way he burst on to No1 in the world, two-time major champion and all the things he has accomplished these last couple of years. So it’s difficult to relate to all that he has experienced but I can only assume that he is getting comfortable in his new skin as a global superstar and we shouldn’t take that lightly.”

McDowell added: “If Rory won this week, I wouldn’t be surprised. I obviously played with him in the first round in China and his game looks back to its best. This is a golf course he knows how to get around so I certainly wouldn’t be surprised to see him on the leaderboard. I think he has the tools to get the job done. It is difficult to comment on anything else, really, because I haven’t seen enough of him lately to know what he needs to change or where his head is at. He has had a lot of distractions off the golf this year as we all know but his game certainly looks to be back to its best.”