"They don't take us seriously, a waste of our efforts" - Caroline Wozniacki's father Piotr lashes out at WTA, French Open over denied wildcards

Caroline Wozniacki's father Piotr recently expressed his displeasure with the former World No. 1 being denied a wildcard at this year's French Open. He believes that the Dane deserved more respect from the tournament organizers as a legend of women's tennis.

Wozniacki had previously hung up her racquet in 2020, before making an unexpected comeback to the WTA Tour last August at the age of 33. The 2018 Australian Open champion has given a good account of herself since then, reaching the quarterfinals of the 2024 BNP Paribas Open and the fourth round of the 2023 US Open.

Caroline Wozniacki is currently ranked 117th, which is quite a few spots away from the women's top 100. Consequently, the 33-year-old not only missed the direct entry cut for the French Open, which begins on Sunday (May 27), but she was also overlooked for a possible wildcard position in the women's singles draw.

Moreover, Wozniacki also failed to meet the deadline for the entry list of the women's singles qualifying competition. This means that she won't appear in this year's claycourt Major. The Dane's father, Piotr Wozniacki, wasn't happy with the apparent mistreatment meted out to his daughter, going by his latest comments to Polish magazine Gazeta.

Piotr maintained that the former World No. 1 will not play at the French Open next year. He also claimed that the higher-ups at the Claycourt Major 'didn't take them seriously'.

However, the former football player did disclose that Caroline Wozniacki will play the qualifying round at Wimbledon, provided she doesn't receive a wildcard there. He also went as far as to suggest that perhaps his daughter's struggles would shed some light on where the WTA Tour is lacking.

"Of course we could, because we have a ranking that allows it... But Caroline said that she had not worked hard all her life and had not achieved so much to now start as a junior. At some point in life, however, there should be respect in a sport where a person meant something," Caroline Wozniacki's father told Gazeta.

"And I will tell you that Caroline will definitely not play next year. We have already decided this. Because there's no point in going through something like that. They don't take us seriously, so it's a waste of our efforts."

Piotr continued:

"And at Wimbledon, if Caroline does not get a wild card, we will play qualifiers. Maybe through this difficult path, Caroline will open the gate to an honest look at women's tennis."

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"Caroline Wozniacki just wanted to see if she was respected... that's why she didn't enter the qualifying rounds" - Dane's father Piotr

Caroline Wozniacki hits a forehand at the Madrid Open

During the interaction, Caroline Wozniacki's father Piotr disclosed that the 33-year-old had no qualms with playing in the qualifiers of a Major tournament. He added that she was testing how the organizers would treat her.

"Caroline is not the type of person who considers eliminations a dishonor. She can play in the qualifiers. But in Roland Garros' case, she just wanted to see if she was respected," Caroline Wozniacki's father told Gazeta.

"That's why she didn't enter the qualifying rounds, risking losing the tournament at best. She told me this: 'Dad, I won't report because I'm curious how they will treat me.' And when she got the answer, it was too late to register for the eliminations," he added.

Wozniacki has made 12 career appearances on the terre battue of Paris, making it to the quarterfinals in 2010 and 2017. This year, the Dane has only scored one win against two losses on the dirt, with her most recent defeat coming to Sara Errani in the first round of the Italian Open.