The tennis star who time traveled through generations
Summary
Caroline Wozniacki, 34, made her name in the era of Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova. But after a three-year hiatus, she returned last year to a completely different landscape—and started winning again.Caroline Wozniacki used to come to the U.S. Open all but certain that she would face one of the great players of her generation. For the former world No. 1 from Denmark, every year seemed to bring another slugfest—across the court she’d eventually see Serena Williams, Kim Clijsters, Maria Sharapova or some other major champion who could pound the ball.
But as her career wore on, Wozniacki watched each of them ride off into retirement until finally, in 2020, she followed them.
The difference is that Wozniacki simply couldn’t stay off the court. Last year, Wozniacki returned to pro tennis after two children and three years away. By the time she came back, it was as if she’d traveled in time: Wozniacki’s fiercest rivals had turned over and women’s tennis had moved out of its power era.
Yet Wozniacki found that she was hitting the ball as well as ever. So she just needed to know, did she still have it?
So far, there are clues that she might. Wozniacki is back in the second week of the U.S. Open, and just one win from a first Grand Slam quarterfinal since 2018.
“Obviously I believe in myself and in my game," she says, now 34. “If my body can hold up and if everything goes the right direction, I believe that I can go very far. How far? We’ll see."
During her prime, Wozniacki was clearly gifted in every facet of the game, but never had one standout weapon. In the power era of women’s tennis, she was a hard court defensive specialist who could hang with heavy hitters. Her only Grand Slam title came in Australia in 2018, but her most consistently impressive results came at the U.S. Open. Between 2009 and 2016, Wozniacki reached at least a semifinal on five occasions and lost in the final twice.
“I think there are some tournaments throughout the year I enjoy a lot more than others," Wozniacki says. “I always feel like I bring some of my best tennis here in New York, so hopefully I can continue to do that."
Those weren’t the only stunning performances Wozniacki pulled off in the city. New York is, after all, the place where she once ran a 3-hour, 26-minute marathon three nights after partying till 4 a.m. and one night after spending her evening eating popcorn at a hockey game with Serena Williams.
But that paled in comparison to the achievement of making it back to the show courts at the U.S. Open last year for the first time since 2019. Wozniacki hadn’t been sure what to expect. At one point, she had gone two full years without so much as swinging a racket. (Williams had only taken a year off after having her daughter.)
When Wozniacki returned to the court, her body didn’t respond the way it once had. Plus she’d been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in 2018. Everything took far more careful management.
“My thing throughout my career has always been I wake up every day, something is hurting, but it was kind of manageable," she said. “Now, as I’ve gotten older, sometimes it’s not as manageable."
But Wozniacki is picking her spots enough to make dramatic progress. Last season, her world ranking topped out at No. 236. This summer, she nudged it back up to No. 70—and she insists she isn’t done.
“Would I have been surprised had I lost in the first round? No," Wozniacki said in New York last year. “Would I be surprised if I keep winning? Also no."
Write to Joshua Robinson at Joshua.Robinson@wsj.com
