Three years after retiring from professional tennis, former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki announced she would be returning to the sport in a first-person essay for Vogue on Thursday.
Wozniacki, 32, said she begin hitting again after her second child was born in October, and it made her realize how much she missed the sport.
“It’s hard to say why, or what changed, but when my dad [and longtime coach, Piotr] 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,” Wozniacki said.
Over these past three years away from the game I got to make up for lost time with my family, I became a mother and now have two beautiful children I am so grateful for. But I still have goals I want to accomplish. I want to show my kids that you can pursue your dreams no matter… pic.twitter.com/OQatFWxQGK
– Caroline Wozniacki (@CaroWozniacki) June 29, 2023
Wozniacki said she is targeting the Canadian Open in Montreal in August as her official return and then would play the US Open. She’s a two-time finalist at the event, most recently in 2014, when she lost to close friend Serena Williams. The USTA announced she will be receiving a wild card for entry to the year’s final major in a statement on Thursday.
Wozniacki spent 71 weeks at No. 1 during her career and won 30 titles, including the 2018 Australian Open and 2017 WTA Finals. She announced her impending retirement prior to the start of the 2020 season with the Australian Open being her final event. She ultimately lost in the third round in Melbourne to Ons Jabeur and was serenaded by the crowd with the singing of “Sweet Caroline,” as well as an on-court ceremony at the match’s end.
“I’ve accomplished everything I could ever dream of on the court,” Wozniacki wrote on Instagram when she announced her retirement. “I’ve always told myself, when the time comes, that there are things away from tennis that I want to do more, then it’s time to be done. In recent months, I’ve realized that there is a lot more in life that I’d like to accomplish off the court.”
In the same post, she cited her desire to start a family with her husband, former NBA All-Star David Lee, and the couple have since welcomed two children — a daughter named Olivia in June 2021 and a son named James in October 2022. Wozniacki joins a growing list of mothers competing on the WTA Tour, including Victoria…
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