“This country is very special to me” – Wozniacki excited to play Australian Open again

Caroline Wozniacki has not played at the Australian Open since retiring there in 2020 after a third-round loss to Ons Jabeur

Caroline Wozniacki competes at the 2023 US Open © Chryslène Caillaud / Panoramic

Jérémy Baudu

December 9, 2023

Caroline Wozniacki’s comeback will continue in 2024. After playing her first three tournaments in more than three years last summer, the Dane has taken a big break to prepare for the new season, which starts in less than a month in Australia.

The 33-year-old was awarded a wildcard to play in the main draw of the Australian Open, a tournament she has not played since 2020. At the time, she lost in the third round to Ons Jabeur, in what Wozniacki believed was the final match of her career.

Four years later, Wozniacki will return to Melbourne with a big smile on her face. The Dane feels good on the courts of the Australian Open, where she won her only Grand Slam in 2018. As a guest on The AO Show podcast this week, the former world No one opened up about her very special relationship with the country.

Caroline Wozniacki after winning the 2018 Australian Open (Antoine Couvercelle/Panoramic)

I obviously won my first Grand Slam there, and it’s just the happy Slam.
Caroline Wozniacki

“It’s really amazing that I’m getting another chance to play in Australia, I really thought, when I retired in 2020, that this would be my last tournament, my last match,” Wozniacki said.

“I decided to retire in Australia because this country is very special to me. I feel so supported there, I obviously won my first Grand Slam there, and it’s just the happy Slam.

“Three years later, I realised that I still had something to give to the sport, that my passion was still there and that I was still young enough to try my luck one last time. I can’t believe there’s only five weeks left until the tournament. I feel like after the U.S. Open, I had so much time to prepare, and all of a sudden it comes to me. I’m so excited to be back.”

With a record of four wins and three losses since her return to the WTA Tour, the 33-year-old feels good physically and is happy in her life as a mother. A balance that can, according to her, allow her to play her best tennis.

Wozniacki has found her balance

“I felt, in my game and physically, that I knew where I needed to go, I knew where I was, I knew where I needed to be and wanted to be able to beat the best players in the world on a regular basis, and I think it’s very encouraging to see that I wasn’t too far away.

“I’m very confident and comfortable going into this new season, having played these three tournaments before, and knowing that my game is excellent, and that physically I just need to accelerate a little bit more. I’m very lucky to be able to play the game that I love and I’m pretty good at. It gives me the freedom to know that I don’t know how long I’m going to be able to play. I don’t know how much time I have left to play, but when I’m on the pitch I’ll give it everything I’ve got.

“If someone beats me, then congratulations – you were better than me that day, and I’m going to go home and work harder. I think that balance in my life has really contributed to the fact that I feel like I’m playing amazing tennis and being a lot freer.”