"They were tired of Caroline Wozniacki whining"; "Waste of time" - Fans irked as Dane receives Wimbledon 2024 main draw wildcard

Caroline Wozniacki being among the first seven women to receive a main draw wildcard for the 2024 Wimbledon Championships didn't sit well with a few fans. The Dane made her return to tennis at the North American hardcourt swing last year after retiring in 2020 but has failed to make any impact.

The former World No. 1 has a 7-7 win-loss record in 2024 and has failed to make it past the quarterfinals in all the tournaments she has played so far. After she was denied a wildcard for the French Open, the Dane's father Piotr was quoted as saying to Sport.pl that she could have entered the qualifiers but didn't want to take a step down after achieving so much in her career.

Piotr, who also coaches Wozniacki, said that she definitely won't be participating in the tournament next year.

"Of course we could [enter qualifying in Roland Garros], 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," Caroline Wozniacki's father told Sport.pl. "At some point in life, however, there should be respect in a sport where a person meant something. And I will tell you that Caroline will definitely not play next year."

Wimbledon, on the other hand, has awarded Caroline Wozniacki a main draw wildcard alongside Emma Raducanu, Angelique Kerber, Naomi Osaka, and others.

Fans weren't happy with this decision as they felt that Caroline Wozniacki had enough time to improve her rank but failed to do so and didn't deserve a wildcard. One fan on X (formerly Twitter) claimed that the Dane's whining got her the wildcard:

"They were tired of Wozniacki whining about wild cards and decided to give her one to shut her mouth"

Another fan felt the Dane had enough time to prove herself since her return and hasn't had a great career on the grass to warrant a wildcard.

"The Wozniacki one is questionable imo. Has had 10 months to get her ranking up to top 100 and not managed to do so. Never made it past R16 at Wimbledon."

Here are some other fan reactions:

"Carowhine works," a fan joked.

"Wild card wasting in Caroline Wozniacki," a fan opined.

"Kerber Caroline waste of time. Give them to young and upcoming players," another fan opined.

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"I think sometimes my dad gets a little ahead of himself" - Caroline Wozniacki on her dad announcing her retirement plans

Caroline Wozniacki

During the same interview with Sport.pl, Caroline Wozniacki's father said that she had already decided to retire again next year as she was not being taken seriously and her efforts weren't being respected.

"I will tell you that Karolina 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 our efforts are wasted," he said.

Piotr claimed that she would play till the US Open and then hang up her boots.

"We will survive until the end of this season, until the last Grand Slam tournament, the US Open, and then we will leave it at that."

However, Wozniacki recently said that her father gets ahead of himself sometimes and they have yet to discuss her plans for the upcoming seasons.

“I think sometimes my dad gets a little ahead of himself. It’s definitely not something we’ve talked about.,” Wozniacki told the PA news agency.

Caroline Wozniacki kicked off her grass season at the Rothesay Classic but suffered an opening round 6-4, 6-1 exit to Elise Mertens.