Caroline Wozniacki said she ‘felt the love’ instantly as she walked onto the IGA Stadium to play her first competitive match in over three years at the Canadian Open on Tuesday.
The 33-year-old staged a dream return to the sport with a convincing 6-2, 6-2, win over Australian world No.115 Kimberly Birrell. Wozniacki won 57% of her service points and broke her opponent six times during the match. Her triumph occurred less than two months after she announced that she would be making a comeback to the sport after retiring back in January 2020.
“I felt the love,” Wozniacki said afterwards. “I felt like the fans as well really were for me, and I had a blast out there, and it was really nice to be back out on a court where I have amazing memories from the past.”
A lot has changed for Wozniacki both on and off the court since she stepped away from the sport. She is now a mother of two young children called Olivia and James. She has been married to her husband, former NBA player David Lee, since 2019.
Family plays a pivotal role for the former world No.1 who admits she wouldn’t be playing again if it wasn’t for their support. She describes traveling on the Tour with her children as both special and cool.
“I’m just excited to be back and competing, and I think for me it’s so special having my family here,” she said.
“I think coming back as a 33-year-old that has played on tour for many years and doing it with my kids that now, especially the older one is starting to really understand and gets to really experience the world and different countries, I think it’s so cool.”
Another member of Wozniacki’s family who has played a major role in her career is her father Piotr. A former professional footballer who had coached the Dane since she was a teenager. The tennis star has also worked with other mentors during her career but Piotr remained her primary coach.
It is unclear if her father will once again be guiding Wozniacki on the Tour in the coming weeks. As to Piotr’s reaction when his daughter first told him that she wanted to start playing again, he said ‘you got to take it seriously.’
“I just looked at him and said: When do I not take stuff seriously when I put my mind to it?” She replied at the time.
“He looked at me and said, that’s a good point. He goes, ‘Okay, well, go work, see how your body keeps up, and then come back to me after that – I’ll be ready if you really need me.”
Wozniacki returns to action on Tuesday at the Canadian Open when she will face Marketa Vondrousova who is playing in her first tournament since winning Wimbledon.
