NEW DELHI: Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki, the Danish tennis player, made a surprising announcement on Thursday as she declared her return to the sport. This comes after her official retirement from professional tennis in 2020.
"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," Wozniacki wrote on her Instagram profile.
"I'm coming back to play and I can't wait!," she said.
Wozniacki enjoyed a remarkable career that saw her spend an impressive 71 weeks at the pinnacle of the world rankings. Throughout her career, she accumulated a total of 30 singles titles, a notable achievement that includes her triumph at the Australian Open in 2018, where she clinched a Grand Slam crown.
In January 2020, Wozniacki surprised the tennis world by announcing her retirement at the age of 29. Her decision was driven by her desire to embark on the journey of starting a family with her husband, former NBA player David Lee.
Subsequently, she welcomed her daughter Olivia and son James into the world, embracing the joys of motherhood.
Wozniacki said she would first play at the Canadian Open in Montreal in August "to get back into the groove" before targeting the U.S. Open while her long-term goal is the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
"So I'm going to play the U.S. Open. There's just an electric atmosphere in New York that I can't get enough of, and I've played so well there for years and years," she wrote in a Vogue magazine article.
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) later announced that Wozniacki, a two-time finalist at Flushing Meadows, had been awarded a wildcard for the Grand Slam that begins on August 28.
"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."
The Dane, who turns 33 next month, said she was inspired by 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams after the American returned to the sport following the birth of her daughter Olympia.
"I think that Serena doesn't get nearly enough credit for getting to so many Grand Slam finals after having Olympia," she added.
"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."
(With Reuters inputs)
