Rory McIlroy has been under a lot of criticism as of late because of his abysmal play in 2013, and his girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki has been blamed for much of it. McIlroy could just be going through an inexplicable funk, but several PGA legends and analysts have wondered if his relationship with Wozniacki is directly correlated with his struggles.
The most recent comments about McIlroy’s personal life came from nine-time major champion Gary Player, who said that McIlroy needs to find the right woman in order to continue his dominance in the game of golf. After hearing that chatter, former tennis star Andy Roddick and his wife Brooklyn Decker have apparently had enough.
I'm so sick of people bagging on Mcilroy and Caroline. They're both very bright and nice people. Let them live and stop looking for stories
— andyroddick (@andyroddick) July 31, 2013
@andyroddick you tell 'em, Roddick.
— Brooklyn Decker (@BrooklynDecker) July 31, 2013
As one of the more prominent athlete-celebrity couples on our extensive list, Roddick and Decker know a thing or two about relationship criticism. I’m sure Roddick heard how Decker negatively affected his play on more than one occasion.
For what it’s worth, Wozniacki has struggled worse than McIlroy since the two started dating. She was ranked No. 1 in the world at the time, but has fallen to 10th and hasn’t won a major since. McIlroy, on the other hand, was No. 3 in the world then and is No. 3 now. His only two major victories came while he was dating Wozniacki.
Everyone from Johnny Miller to Nick Faldo seems to think McIlroy is not responsible enough to know how to handle his personal time. Fortunately, golf is not a team sport. If McIlroy wants to spend more time on his girlfriend and less on golf (not to say he’s even doing that), that’s his prerogative. Talking about it obviously isn’t changing anything.
