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Caroline Wozniacki, the former No. 1 women’s tennis player in the world, announced Thursday on social media that she is ending her retirement and attempt a comeback. Wozniacki wrote in the caption of her social media post: “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 your age or role. We decided as a family it’s time. I’m coming back to play and I can’t wait!” The 32-year-old Wozniacki shared in a first-person essay for Vogue that she plans to play in the 2023 U.S. Open, and is also hoping to compete at the 2024 Summer Games in Paris.
Wozniacki has previously announced in Dec. 2019, that she would retire from tennis in large part due to her battle with rheumatoid arthritis that left her in constant pain. She cited “things away from tennis” that she wanted to “do more,” including her family and raising awareness about rheumatoid arthritis. Wozniacki married former NBA player David Lee in 2019, and the couple welcomed daughter Olivia in 2021 and son James in October.
Wozniacki, a three-time Olympian, started playing professional at 15 years old in 2005, earning her first win in 2006 and making her Grand Slam debut at Wimbledon 2006. Wozniacki, who owns a 635-264 record on the singles circuit, claimed 30 WTA singles titles, a WTA Finals victory and earned more than $35.2 million in prize money. She became the top player in the world on Oct. 10, 2010, holding the No. 1 ranking for 71 weeks.
Wozniacki plans to enter the National Bank Open, held from Aug. 4 to 13 in Montreal, before heading onto the U.S. Open, taking place Aug. 28 – Sept. 10 in Flushing, N.Y. Wozniacki said she “thinks” she can win the tournament: “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.”
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