Caroline Wozniacki will return to tennis in a shock retirement U-turn, she has confirmed in a piece for Vogue magazine.
Three years ago, the former World No.1 and Australian Open champion decided to step away from the sport. She got married to her husband former NBA player David Lee.
As well as having two children named Olivia and James but has now announced that she still has the desire to play and after giving birth for a second time hit a few tennis balls and decided to give it another go.
The signs were potentially there recently for the Dane who returned for the Legends tournament at Roland Garros and was seen practicing which now seemingly was for a return to the court.
In terms of tennis, Wozniacki has kept her eye in with punditry and commentary work for Tennis Channel but at only the age of 32 still feels she can't walk away.
"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. I had no idea how long that break would last," she said to Vogue.
"But then, one day late last year, I found myself setting up a couple of sessions on the court. And when my dad visited me in Florida, I realized 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?”
"He said I wasn’t making that up. And that’s when I knew I had to get back out there."
Wozniacki though will start her preparation immediately with the US Open and the prior warm-up tournaments her initial goal.
A former two-time finalist at Flushing Meadows, it holds special memories but it won't be her only stop on her return.
She will also play full-time going forward seemingly with Australian Open her next goal after that as well as the Olympic Games in 2024. It is firmly full steam ahead.
"So I’m going to play the US 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.
"Also, David (her husband) was a New York Knick for five seasons—we both love it there. 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.
"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."
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…
