Tennis fans who head to the IGA stadium to witness Caroline Wozniacki’s return in less than two weeks will see an athlete with the same desire to win that propelled her to the top of her sport a few years ago. But also a young woman with a different perspective on her sport.
More than three years after playing his last official match at the Australian Open, Wozniacki caused some surprise a month ago when he announced his return to action at the National Bank Open. A return that will materialize less than a year after the birth of her second child with her husband, David Lee, former NBA player.
“I always aspire to be the best tennis player I can be and to compete at the highest level,” Wozniacki said in a phone interview with La Presse Canadienne de Monaco this week.
“But of course I have my family with me now, and it’s absolutely amazing to know that my daughter and my son will be able to watch me play and be able to explore the world a bit with them. I think it’s just as exciting,” she added.
When she announced her retirement in January 2020, Wozniacki had achieved the two big dreams of her tennis career by winning a Grand Slam tournament – in Australia in 2018 – and occupying the first place in the world rankings, a round strength that she notably achieved in 2010 and 2011.
At this particular time in his life, nothing led him to believe that it was only a temporary retirement.
“I think when I realized that I still have a flame in me and I still have the level, I think, to compete with the best players in the world, I thought it was now or never.” , said Wozniacki, who must also participate in the Cincinnati tournament, immediately after Montreal, before attacking the United States Open from August 28.
“I talked to my husband, who is obviously very supportive, and we thought it was the best time to travel with the kids. They are still so young that they do not go to school and we will be able to travel for a few years. »
Since resuming training in anticipation of this return to Montreal, Wozniacki says she has had good physical feelings. Above all, it comes back to those who inhabit it on a psychological level.
“I feel pretty good. I hit the ball well, I move well. I am happy with my tennis. But mostly, I think I appreciate it a lot more now. You really appreciate sports differently when you’ve been away from it for a while, and I think I have a more mature view of sports,” noted Wozniacki, who in retirement served as a network analyst. ESPN and Tennis Channel.
Again, she says, this more mature vision comes from the presence at her side of her husband and her two children.
“No matter the circumstances, they are my number one priority and I always want to make sure they are okay. I think it gives a feeling of calm when it comes time to get on the court. I’m going to do my best, I’m going to be as competitive as possible. I will work hard at my art and try to win, of course, the next match I have to play,” she said.
“But at the same time, Wozniacki nuance, I also know that it’s not the end of the world if I lose a game. The most important thing is my family, and I think that will give me a more relaxed attitude when approaching a game. When you’re in the most important moment of a match, you want to be relaxed, making your shots without fear of missing them. »
When she steps onto Center Court at IGA Stadium on the afternoon of Tuesday, August 8, Wozniacki will be making her first outing in Montreal in five years, almost to the day.
On August 9, 2018, Wozniacki, then the second seed, suffered a second round elimination after a 2 hour 31 minute match against a future star of women’s tennis, then aged 20: Aryna Sabalenka, today number two in the world.
Which isn’t to say Wozniacki doesn’t have good words to say about Montreal. Quite the contrary, in fact, especially since it was in this same city that she scored the first significant triumph of her career, in 2010, in rather particular circumstances.
“I have many great memories of Montreal. First, it is such a beautiful city. I love spectators. I think they are very knowledgeable about tennis. And the site [of the tournament] is beautiful,” first listed Wozniacki, winner of 30 career tournaments.
“Of course, winning [in Montreal] adds to those wonderful memories,” she said. The year I won the tournament, there was rain and we had to play the semi-finals and the final on Monday. […] With the United States Open coming up, Montreal was the best place to start and I’m excited to get back there. »