Caroline Wozniacki, former world No.1 and two-time finalist in the US Open women’s singles, will be granted a wildcard entry into the main draw of the 2023 US Open.
The 32-year-old Wozniacki recently declared her comeback to competitive tennis this summer. After retiring following the 2020 Australian Open to start a family with her husband, former NBA player David Lee, she now has a two-year-old daughter named Olivia and an eight-month-old son named James.
During her career, Wozniacki spent a remarkable 71 weeks as the world’s top-ranked player. She achieved a significant milestone for Danish tennis by triumphing at the 2018 Australian Open, becoming the first Danish player to win a Grand Slam in singles. Wozniacki reached the singles final at the US Open in 2009 and 2014 and also secured three additional semifinal appearances in 2010, 2011, and 2016. Her tally of 30 WTA titles and 633 match wins positions her among the Top 20 all-time in both categories.
Wozniacki joins an esteemed group of Grand Slam champions who returned to competitive tennis after becoming mothers. This list includes Serena Williams, Kim Clijsters (who won three Grand Slams and two US Opens after starting a family), and Victoria Azarenka. Among active players at the WTA level who are also mothers are Azarenka, Elina Svitolina, Taylor Townsend, Tatjana Maria, Evgeniya Rodina, and Vera Zvonareva.
At the 2020 US Open, Williams, Azarenka, and the now-retired Tsvetana Pironkova made history by becoming the first trio of mothers to reach the quarterfinals of the same Grand Slam.
The 2023 US Open is scheduled to take place from August 28 to September 10, with Fan Week commencing on August 22.
There is no mention of the rheumatoid arthritis which was the supposed reason for her retirement.
CLT, when she was retiring, she said that it had nothing to do with her health. She wanted to have kids and pursue other off-court goals. Here’s her retirement message from December 2019:
“I’ve always told myself, when the time comes, that there are things away from tennis that I want to do more, then it’s time to be done. In recent months, I’ve realized that there is a lot more in life that I’d like to accomplish off the court. Getting married to David was one of those goals and starting a family with him while continuing to travel the world and helping raise awareness about rheumatoid arthritis (project upcoming) are all passions of mine moving forward.
So with that, today I am announcing that I will be retiring from professional tennis after the Australian Open in January. This has nothing to do with my health and this isn’t a goodbye, I look forward to sharing my exciting journey ahead with all of you!”