"I'm going to play the US Open" - Caroline Wozniacki announces shock return to tennis 3 years after retirement

Caroline Wozniacki has confirmed that she will make a return to tennis and will play at the 2023 US Open.

Wozniacki is among the finest players of her generation and enjoyed a stellar career during which she won the Australian Open and became World No.1. She announced her retirement from tennis in 2020 and has since had two children with her husband David Lee.

The Dane is now set to return to tennis three years after her retirement and has claimed that she would compete at the US Open. Wozniacki admitted during the announcement that she decided to return after a conversation with her husband.

"Between Christmas and New Year’s, David and the children and my dad and my mom were on a beach. Olivia was running around, having a blast, and as I sat there looking out across the water, I just kind of blurted out to David: 'I’ve been hitting it well. Yeah,' he said. 'I’ve been watching. Should I come back?' I asked, more rhetorically than anything. 'Honestly, why not' David said, after a moment. 'We only live once,'" Caroline Wozniacki told Vogue.

The Dane further remarked that she couldn't get enough of the atmosphere in New York, prompting her to make her Grand Slam comeback there. She also stated that she would first play in Montreal to find her rhythm before playing at the US Open while adding that the 2024 Paris Olympics was among her goals as well.

"So I’m going to play the US Open. There’s just an electric atmosphere in New York that I can’t get enough of, and I’ve played so well there for years and years. Also, David was a New York Knick for five seasons—we both love it there," Wozniacki said.

"I’ll start out playing in Montreal just to get back into the groove, and then we’ll all head to New York. After that, I’ll have a couple of months to prepare for Australia, and we’ll take it from there. The Paris Olympics are definitely a goal too," she added.

Caroline Wozniacki has a pretty decent record at the US Open, winning 38 out of 51 matches. She reached two finals in 2009 and 2014, losing to Kim Clijsters and Serena Williams respectively. Her last appearance at the New York major came in 2019, when she reached the third round before losing 6-4, 6-4 to Bianca Andreescu.

Caroline Wozniacki last played at the 2020 Australian Open

Caroline Wozniacki at the 2020 Australian Open

Caroline Wozniacki's last tournament on tour before her retirement was the 2020 Australian Open. The Dane was unseeded at the tournament and booked her place in the third round with straight-set wins over Kristie Ahn and 23rd seed Dayana Yastremska.

Here, she faced a 23-year-old Ons Jabeur, who beat her 6-4, 6-4 to reach the fourth round in Melbourne.

Wozniacki has enjoyed an illustrious career that saw her win 30 singles titles, including a Grand Slam, six WTA 1000 titles and the year-end championships in 2017. She was also the World No. 1 for a total of 71 weeks.