When Caroline Wozniacki announced in December 2019 that the Australian Open — where she won her first and only Grand Slam title — would be her last tournament ever, it was almost as if the world had stopped turning for tennis fans and players alike. Tennis players few and far between possess the drive, endurance and long-running ability to stay atop the rankings like Wozniacki did during her 12 years as a pro.
And Wozniacki’s retirement, coming six months before her 30th birthday, just hurts, but it’s understandable given the circumstances.
At the end of the 2018 season, we found out Wozniacki had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis just before losing in the second round of the US Open. This was announced after having the best opening to her season ever, winning her first major title over then-World No. 1 Simona Halep in Melbourne and taking Halep’s place in the rankings. With this feat, Wozniacki ended the longest gap ever between losing and regaining the World No. 1 ranking. It seemed as if everything was looking up for the prime Wozniacki, but that would’ve been too easy.
She secured her second China Open title in October, but that was about it. Her US Open series — tournaments in Washington, D.C., Toronto, Cincinnati and the US Open itself in New York City — consisted of a right leg injury and early losses. She didn’t make it past the first week of any tournament, and fans everywhere were wondering if the slump would continue. The arthritis report made sense. Everything after didn’t.
2019 brought with it no titles for Wozniacki for the first time since her junior career in 2007, and she dropped out of the top 10. The only bright spot was her wedding to David Lee, a former 2015 NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors. We just thought it wasn’t her year, but Wozniacki knew this chapter was coming to a close because there was more for her beyond tennis.
Wozniacki’s goal now is to start a family and raise awareness for rheumatoid arthritis, but “this isn’t a goodbye.” There’s no way we could ever say goodbye to one of the deadliest backhands to ever grace the women’s field; there’s no way we could ever say goodbye to her defensive approach and irreproachable footwork. There’s no way she could stop at just 30 WTA singles titles when so much more is bound to come. But she gave it her all during every point of every match in her 13 years in the business, and it’s just history now.
We saw Wozniacki’s promise as a junior player. She lived up to and exceeded it as a pro. Now, as we say farewell to her tennis dominance, we remember every remarkable move she made, and we won’t forget a second of it.
Bre Callahan 