© Getty Images Sport – Clive Brunskill
Caroline Wozniacki won’t need to play in the Australian Open qualifying as the tournament organizers have officially confirmed the former world No 1 as a main draw wildcard recipient. Wozniacki, who returned to tennis in August after being retired for three and a half years, is currently ranked at No 242 in the world.
With that ranking, Wozniacki was far away from making the main draw cut. However, it was widely expected that 2018 Australian Open champion Wozniacki would receive a main draw wildcard for the first Grand Slam of the season.
Wozniacki, who retired from pro tennis after the 2020 Australian Open, is now officially set to return to Melbourne Park in 2024 January.
Wozniacki set to return to the Australian Open, the place of her lone Slam win
Wozniacki, who is now 33 years old, was chasing a Grand Slam win for many years before it finally happened at the 2018 Australian Open.
In the 2018 Australian Open final, Wozniacki defeated Simona Halep in a three-set final. When Wozniacki returns to the Australian Open in January, it will be her second Slam appearance since unretiring. In August, Wozniacki competed at a WTA 1000 tournaments in Montreal and Cincinnati before also competing at the US Open.
At Flushing Meadows, Wozniacki impressively reached the round-of-16 before losing to eventual champion Coco Gauff. Later, Wozniacki admitted that she was so happy with how her Slam return went. “It was so nice playing on the big courts.
I was treated extremely well at the US Open and got to play one match on Armstrong (the second biggest court), then everything else on Ashe. What an honour that was and playing in front of the packed crowds was something so special to me, why I love playing this game and why I work so hard to reach the highest level,” Wozniacki said. It remains to be seen how will Wozniacki’s Australian Open return go.
