How Caroline Wozniacki overcame huge hurdles to return to the top
Caroline Wozniacki has been one of the star performers at this year’s US Open and her success is all the more remarkable given the journey she has been on in recent years.
Wozniacki stunned the tennis world when she made a comeback three years after her retirement, with the Danish superstar emerging from her time away from the sport to impress at the US Open.
Her win against two-time former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova was a stunning achievement for the 33-year-old, who has returned to tennis after giving birth to two children.
After confirming she is still competitive at the highest level of the game, Wozniacki will be looking to climb the WTA rankings in the coming months and her stunning appearance on court has been hailed as a primary reason for her success.
“She has always looked great,” said former British No 1 and Sky Sports analyst Johanna Konta of Wozniacki.
“You should have seen her two weeks after she gave birth… oh my god it was just ridiculous!
“Physically, that has always been her superpower. That has always been her engine as a player.
“If she was going to come back, that was always going to be what drove her on and she just looks physically amazing. She is moving so well and that is where she builds her consistency from.
“I was in the invitational event at Wimbledon a few weeks ago and Caroline played in that. The standard of that competition was just insane and my body didn’t thank me for playing in that event afterwards.
“Now I see Caroline out here at the US Open winning matches and she looks like she has never been away. It’s just amazing.”
Wozniacki opened up on why she is returning to tennis in an interview with Vogue in July, and her ambition seems to be burning as brightly as ever.
“Three years ago, having achieved almost everything I’d ever set out to do, I walked away from the professional tour,” said Wozniacki.
“I wanted to start a family, and I needed a break. I had no idea how long that break would last. 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? So I decided to try again.
“Serena (Williams) and I had dinner a few weeks ago, and when I told her my plan she just said, “Wow—good for you. I’m going to cheer you on every step of the way, and if you ever need anything, I’m here.” She’s always been there for me.
“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.”
Wozniacki has had more than most to overcome to make a return to the top of tennis as not only has she given birth to two children in the last three years, she is also battling rheumatoid arthritis.
Back in 2018, Wozniacki was feeling unwell after Wimbledon and her problem didn’t go away.
“I started having some pain in my joints, and I told my dad that maybe we should skip this week, so I withdrew from the tournament to be ready for Montreal, which was a bigger tournament,” Wozniacki said.
“Something was off when I practised. Day to day, I felt exhausted and was dizzy on the court. I also had pain in some joints.
“Then one day it got so bad. I looked over at my husband and told him I couldn’t move. I was in so much pain and felt exhausted. I said something is serious here.
“When I arrived in Cincinnati, I went to see a doctor—an exercise physiologist—because I felt extreme pain in my shoulders, elbows and hands. I had to hold my elbows in my hands so they wouldn’t move. It felt like my shoulders were out of socket.”
A series of tests confirmed she was suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and she adds: “It’s really hard to say why I developed RA because I don’t really know. There’s no one in my family that we know of that has RA or an autoimmune disease unless someone is undiagnosed.
“It could be triggered by various things, like I was exhausted and my immune system was compromised at the time,” Wozniacki says. “Honestly, I was experiencing symptoms for quite some time, but it really took me being bedridden to really be like something isn’t right here.
“With the right care and people around you, you can really do so much, and that’s why I want to be an inspiration for other women going through the same thing.
“It’s important to have an open dialogue with your doctor about your treatment. For my treatment, I keep it to myself because what works for me might not work for the next person. It could be different.”
READ MORE: Former British No 1 says Caroline Wozniacki’s stunning physique is her US Open superpower
