By Erik Gudris | @atntennis | Thursday, June 29, 2023
Former World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki announced her return to tennis this summer that includes a singles main draw wild card into this year's US Open.
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve
Former World No. 1 and Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki announced her return to tennis this summer after an extended break that included getting married and giving birth to two children.
In a Vogue magazine article, the 32-year-old Wozniacki said she thought it was time to give tennis another try and hopes her comeback will inspire other women as well.
“I’ve talked with a lot of women who gave up on their own dreams because they wanted to be with their families, but somewhere deep down they have this yearning to do something they’re passionate about,” Wozniacki wrote in the article. “I want to show those women that maybe there’s a way.”
Wozniacki won 30 career singles titles before retiring from tennis in 2020. She then started a family with her husband NBA all-star David Lee. She has since had two children, a daughter Olivia and son James.
Wozniacki will officially start her comeback at the upcoming WTA 1000 Omnium Banquet National in Montreal. She also received a wildcard into the main draw of the women’s singles event at this year’s US Open where she is a two-time finalist.
“How long will I be able to play at my highest level—a year, two years, three years?” Wozniacki said. “I don’t know. But I know that five years from now, when the kids are in school, it will be too late.
"I’m not going to make any bold predictions—but if I didn’t believe in myself, I wouldn’t be doing this: I’m too competitive to just show up and not feel like I’m going to be one of the best players out there.”
Since retiring from tennis, the 2018 Australian Open champion Wozniacki has stayed connected to the sport by doing tennis commentary for both ESPN and Tennis Channel.
Wozniacki joins many fellow WTA players who return to the tour after giving birth, including Serena Williams, Kim Clijsters, Victoria Azarenka and more. Angelique Kerber and Naomi Osaka are also planning their returns after taking time off to have children with former world No. 1 Kerber targeting a return at the 2024 Australian Open.
Wozniacki credits her good friend Serena Williams for encouraging her to pursue her comeback and as an inspiration to all women.
“I think that Serena doesn’t get nearly enough credit for getting to so many Grand Slam finals after having Olympia," Wozniacki said. "Her retirement will always be bittersweet, both for me and for so many other players, because she’s meant so much to women’s tennis.
"She paved the way for so many of us—she showed us that anything is possible.”
Wozniacki admits that she did not hit a ball for two years but that in recent practices, she felt the desire to return to competition.
“I didn’t hit a tennis ball until after James was born, more than two years after my last match,” Wozniacki writes. “It’s hard to say why, or what changed, but when my dad saw me practice that day, and said, “It looks like you’re enjoying it more”—that was exactly how I felt: I was relaxed and having fun, and somehow that let me see everything more clearly.”
After this summer, Wozniacki is still determining how long she will keep playing. She aims to compete at next year’s Australian Open and hopes to compete at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
“Am I nervous? Not really,” Wozniacki said about her chances on tour. “I’m coming back to something I love. Yes, I’ll be nervous before a match. I’m okay with that. I’m great with that.
"Can I win the US Open? I think so. Can I win the Australian Open? I think so. That’s why I’m doing this. And I’ll guess we’ll see what happens.”