Caroline Wozniacki still believes she is good enough to win big tournaments – even if she will need to take a different route back to the highest echelon of the sport.
The former world No 1, who will be a wildcard at the ASB Classic, was the talk of
ASB Classic: Caroline Wozniacki reveals special sacrifice on her path back to top of tennis
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“I’ve been on tour since I was 15 years old. I’ve done the week-in, week-out grind but now that is just not possible, not only with my body but also with everything else going on. I love this part of it, being the older player I get to set my own pace a little bit.”
It means Wozniacki – currently ranked 249 – is unlikely to be seeded at majors, as she doesn’t chase ranking points, but she is prepared to make that sacrifice.
”I believe if I play my best tennis I can beat anyone, it really doesn’t matter who is on the other side,” said Wozniacki.
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Wozniacki has been around forever. She made the 2009 US Open final as a teenager and reached the ranking summit the following year. Wozniacki collected 30 singles titles – including the 2018 Australian Open – before retiring after the 2020 Melbourne event.
She is still ultra competitive but admits her priorities have changed markedly since the arrival of daughter Olivia (June 2021) and son James (October 2022).
”It’s a completely different perspective,” said Wozniacki. “I have two kids, they are my No 1 priority always but obviously I am here to play great tennis, to win the tournament, to go far and to prepare the best I can for the Australian Open.”
That’s not always easy. Wozniacki is travelling with her husband, former NBA player David Lee, and a nanny but her schedule is still packed. Since arriving on Thursday, they’ve already visited a couple of Auckland parks (Victoria Park and Myers Park) and playgrounds, before going to the zoo on Saturday afternoon.
“After having kids, you really realise there is a lot of time,” said Wozniacki. “I structure my days a lot better, I work out, I do my training, I do everything then I make sure I always have time for the kids because they need attention, they need their mum and their dad. At the end of the night, when they go down at 7.30pm, I am like, ‘OK, it’s been a long day’. I can feel it for sure, it’s early to bed.”
Giving Olivia and James the chance to see their mother in action was another motivating factor for her return, providing a lot of “very special memories” already.
Wozniacki surprised herself with her level last year, after not picking up a racket for the best part of three years. She remains hungry – “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think I could win big things” – and still loves the sport, despite the intense training required.
Wozniacki has played Auckland on seven previous occasions. She reached the final in 2015 and 2018, losing to Venus Williams and Julia Goerges respectively, and also made the last four in 2016 and 2020.
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That year was a farewell – but she is happy to be back, expressing a genuine fondness for the city and the event.
”I love coming back here,” said Wozniacki. “The stadium is always packed, I see familiar faces every year. It’s a very homely tournament.”
However, the 33-year-old is reluctant to set big goals for 2024.
”I don’t look too far ahead anymore,” said Wozniacki. “Obviously I’ve never won this tournament, I’ve been in the final, I’ve done well but obviously would love to take the next step. I want to have my tennis perfect in my head going into the Australian Open and feel great about my body and my game.”
That’s even if her children will have a completely different focus.
”The kids don’t care [about tennis],” said Wozniacki. “If I have practised five hours that day, I’m exhausted, they don’t care they just want to hang out and play.”
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns.
