Former World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki has announced she is returning to tennis, three years after announcing her retirement.
The 32-year-old is now targeting the Canadian Open in Montreal in August as her official comeback before returning to the Grand Slam stage at the US Open.
The mother-of-two revealed she began hitting again following the birth of her second child last October and felt she was playing better than she ever had.
Wozniacki, announced her decision to return to the tour in the latest edition of Vogue, shared a link to the article on social media, writing: ‘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!’
Wozniacki called time on her career after her greatest triumph, at the Australian Open where she won her only Grand Slam in 2018, in order to start a family with husband and former NBA player David Lee.
In an Instagram shared in December 2019, a month before her retirement, Wozniacki wrote: ‘I’ve always told myself, when the time comes, that there are things away from tennis that I want to.
‘In recent months, I’ve realized that there is a lot more in life that I’d like to accomplish off the court.
‘Getting married to David was one of those goals and starting a family with him while continuing to travel the world and helping raise awareness about rheumatoid arthritis (project upcoming) are all passions of mine moving forward.
‘So with that, today I am announcing that I will be retiring from professional tennis after the Australian Open in January.’
She revealed she hadn’t hit a tennis ball until after the birth of her second child, James, last year but once she did, she found herself enjoying it.
‘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,’ she said in her Vogue essay.
She added: ‘How long will I be able to play at my highest level—a year, two years, three years? 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.’
Wozniacki said she’ll take a couple of months to prepare for the Australian Open in January with the Paris Olympics also on the horizon next summer and then she’ll ‘take it from there.’
‘Am I nervous? Not really,’ she said. ‘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.’
Wozniacki, who had been engaged to professional golfer Rory McIlroy before they split in 2014, married Lee in June 2019. The couple welcomed two children – a daughter named Olivia in June 2021 and a son named James in October 2022.
She will join the growing list of mothers on the WTA Tour, including Victoria Azarenka, Elina Svitolina and Taylor Townsend, while expecting mothers and fellow former world No. 1s Angelique Kerber and Naomi Osaka are also expected to join the group once they return from maternity leave next year.
