Former women’s world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki has announced her surprise return to tennis, three years after retiring from the sport.
Now 32, Wozniacki has one grand slam title to her name - the 2018 Australian Open - and was ranked No.1 for a total of more than 70 weeks between 2010 and 2012. Her end-of-year rankings had dipped to only just inside the top 20 by 2016, but a resurgence and her title in Melbourne saw her claim top spot once more.
Two years later though, the Australian Open was effectively her farewell tournament as Wozniacki opted to step away from tennis to raise a family - but now she has confirmed her return, nearly three-and-a-half years later.
Wozniacki confirmed her return in an interview with Vogue and tweeted confirmation of her decision, saying she still had “goals I want to accomplish” and wanted to “show my kids that you can pursue your dreams no matter your age or role”.
The Danish-born star has reached a total of seven grand slam semi-finals in her career, five of which have come at the US Open - and it is there she plans to seriously mount her comeback, with the Paris 2024 Olympics also in her sights.
“Three years ago, having achieved almost everything I’d ever set out to do, I walked away from the professional tour. I wanted to start a family, and I needed a break [...] one day late last year, I found myself setting up a couple of sessions on the court,” she told Vogue in her interview.
“And when my dad [previously her coach] visited me in Florida, I realised I needed advice. I hit for 20, 30 minutes - I’m not sure how long, but at one point I looked at him and said, ‘I feel like I’m hitting it better than I ever have. Am I making that up?’ And that’s when I knew I had to get back out there.”
Wozniacki set out a rough timeline which will take her through the next 12 months, starting before Flushing Meadows later in the year.
The US Tennis Association said it will grant Wozniacki a wild-card invitation to participate in the US Open, which begins in New York on 28 August. She also is receiving a wild-card entry for a tournament in Montreal that begins earlier in August.
“I’ll start out playing in Montreal just to get back into the groove, and then we’ll all head to New York. After that, I’ll have a couple of months to prepare for Australia, and we’ll take it from there. The Paris Olympics are definitely a goal too,” she added.
“Am I nervous? Not really. 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 guess we’ll see what happens.”
