Wozniacki confident she can compete with best when she begins comeback next month
The Dane is stepping up her preparations by playing in the invitational doubles at Wimbledon
Caroline Wozniacki in the legends’ tournament at Roland-Garros in 2023 (Chryslene Caillaud/Panoramic)
Former world No 1 Caroline Wozniacki begins her comeback in Montreal next month, having decided to resume her career after three years away, during which time she has had two children.
The Dane, who won one Grand Slam title, at the Australian Open in 2018, is using the “invitational doubles” event at Wimbledon to continue her preparations and believes that she will have the level required to compete with the world’s best on her return.
“I have played them before, I know exactly what I am up against,” Wozniacki said at Wimbledon on Tuesday. “I know they are playing extremely well and aggressive and consistent and it is going to be a tough challenge but I am up for the challenge. I have fought tough players before and fought my way around so I am going to do the same this time.
“Obviously there are a lot of good players out there and it is a high level of tennis but I played with the greatest of all time in Serena (Williams). She’s the best player I ever played and she isn’t around anymore so that feels good to me at the moment. I am happy not to have to play her anymore.”
Balancing family and tennis a challenge she’s ready for
Wozniacki will have to do what the other mothers on Tour have had to do, manage their time well and juggle their tennis with family life.
But the Dane said the benefit of playing as a mother means that the pressure will not be quite the same as before, when she was striving to win her first Grand Slam title.
“I think for me, I will go out there and enjoy myself and play the way I have been practising and that is all you can do, give it the best when you are out there,” she said.
“My family and my kids [are] the most important thing in my life to me so I know that if I win or lose they won’t look at me any differently. It is going to be a great experience for us as a family to have the kids see a little bit of the world and meet new people and see new cultures. It is such a good learning experience for them so young before they go to real school.”
Wozniacki: “I don’t like to lose”
Wozniacki said she took a while to decide that she wanted to give it a go but is confident she is making the right decision.
“I still feel like I’m young enough to to be able to play at the highest level, I feel like I’ve been hitting the ball well,” she said. “My body feels good. And so if I was going to do it, it’s going to be now.
“So I thought we’d bring the kids along. And I have an amazing husband who also supports me in this. And I think it’s a great learning experience for the kids as well, to go to see the world for for a little while before real school starts.
“I am not putting a time on how long I will play, just see how the body holds up, see how I feel, how the kids and everyone does. I am excited to be back and excited to be playing and hopefully it will be my best tennis yet.
“It’s hard to talk about ambition, but obviously, as an athlete, I hate to lose,” she added. “I think I’ll leave it at that.”
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