Caroline Wozniacki R is a former professional tennis player from Denmark who was born on July 11th, 1990. She held the top singles ranking in the world for a total of 71 weeks, including the final two months of 2010 and 2011. On October 11, 2010, she rose to the top spot for the first time, becoming the 20th player in the Open era and the first woman from a Scandinavian nation to do so. After winning the 2018 Australian Open, she became the first Dane to ever claim a Grand Slam singles title.
In addition to two doubles championships, Wozniacki won 30 WTA singles titles (including six in 2010 and 2011—the highest by a WTA player in a calendar year from 2008–2011). She is renowned for her defensive prowess and footwork. She defeated Magdaléna Rybáriková to win the girls' singles match at Wimbledon in 2006 and was a junior Grand Slam champion. In 2008, she was chosen as the WTA Newcomer of the Year. At the 2018 Australian Open, she defeated Simona Halep to win a Grand Slam singles title, making history by becoming the first Dane to do so. She had previously advanced to two Grand Slam finals at the US Open, losing to Serena Williams in 2014 and Kim Clijsters in 2009, respectively. After losing to Clijsters in the 2010 edition of the tournament, Wozniacki defeated Venus Williams to win the season-ending WTA Finals in Singapore in 2017. Her other notable professional accomplishments include winning three Premier Mandatory and three Premier 5 championships, making it to the quarterfinals of the 2012 London Olympics, four Grand Slam semifinals (the 2011 Australian Open, the 2010, 2011, and 2016 US Opens, and the 2011 US Open), and three Grand Slam quarterfinals (the 2012 Australian Open, the 2010 and 2017 French Opens).
After losing in the third round of the Australian Open, Wozniacki announced her retirement on January 24, 2020. In 2022, she started commentating on ESPN.
Early Years
The birthplace of Wozniacki is Odense, Denmark. She has Polish ancestry. Her father Piotr played professional football, while her mother Anna competed for Poland's women's national volleyball team. When Piotr committed to the Danish football team Boldklubben 1909, the couple relocated to Denmark. Patrik Wozniacki, her older brother, was a former professional football player in Denmark.
Youthful Career
Wozniacki achieved a junior world No. 2 ranking, which was a career best. In October 2003, when she was 13 years and 3 months old, she made her debut on the ITF Junior Circuit, the top 18-and-under junior tour sponsored by the International Tennis Federation (ITF). She competed in two Grade 5 competitions in Denmark during her first month on the tour. At both singles tournaments, Wozniacki advanced to the final and defeated fellow countrywoman Hanne Skak Jensen in the second. She advanced to Grade 3 and Grade 4 competitions after this victory, winning her first four singles matches of 2004. When she lost to Latisha Chan in the semifinals of the International Juniors Championships in Manila in April, her first competition outside of Scandinavia and her first Grade 1 competition, her winning streak of five events and 27 matches came to an end. Wozniacki then only participated in Grade A and Grade 1 competitions, the two highest-level events. Before turning 14, she competed in her first Grade A match at Wimbledon, when she was defeated by Bojana Bobusic. Wozniacki won her maiden Grade A championship in the Osaka Mayor's Cup at the conclusion of the year.
In 2005, Wozniacki triumphed in a number of junior competitions, including the Orange Bowl. On July 19, 2005, she made her WTA Tour debut at Cincinnati's Western & Southern Open, where she was defeated in the opening round by top-seeded Patty Schnyder, who went on to win the tournament. She lost to Martina Suchá in the opening round of the Nordic Light Open, her other WTA competition for the year.
She beat eighth-seeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the junior girls' singles final at the Australian Open in 2006 despite being the top seed. She and partner Anna Tatishvili were seeded second in the doubles competition, but the French-Italian duo Alizé Cornet and Corinna Dentoni, who were seeded ninth, eliminated the pair in the semifinals. She defeated Kristina Brandi and Ashley Harkleroad at the Memphis Open in February to go to the WTA Tour quarterfinals, where she fell to Sweden's third-seeded Sofia Arvidsson. Before Wimbledon, Wozniacki defeated Ashley Harkleroad to win the exhibition Liverpool International Tennis Tournament. She received a wildcard to Wimbledon's qualifying draw later that year, where Miho Saeki defeated her in the opening round. Wozniacki defeated Magdaléna Rybáriková in the Wimbledon girls' singles final, though, and went on to win the title. She advanced to the WTA Tour quarterfinals once more in August, this time at the Nordic Light Open in Stockholm. She beat women ranked in the top 100, Iveta Beneová and Eleni Daniilidou, before falling to eventual champion and third-seeded Zheng Jie.
The second seed at the US Open women's singles was Wozniacki. She defeated the Russian Alexandra Panova in the first round, winning the first set, but was eliminated after the second set for insulting the umpire. According to reports, Wozniacki referred to a linesman who had made a contentious ruling by using an expletive. On her blog, she claimed that she had said, "Take your sunglasses off," and that she had been mistaken for speaking to the linesman, but after the following point, she was actually criticising herself.
She won the girls' singles and doubles matches at the Osaka Mayor's Cup, her final junior competition. In October, she won a $25k tournament in Istanbul by defeating Tatjana Malek in the championship round, earning her maiden victory on the senior tour. Venus Williams was scheduled to play Wozniacki in an exhibition match on November 27 in Copenhagen, however Williams withdrew five days beforehand due to an ailment. However, the two did compete against one another on February 20 in the Memphis WTA Tier III event. Wozniacki's nine-match winning streak came to an end after Williams defeated her. Wozniacki was appointed the ambassador for Danish Junior Tennis on November 29 by the country's then-Culture Minister, Brian Mikkelsen.
She defeated Italian Alberta Brianti to win a $75k singles title in Ortisei on February 4, 2007. She defeated the top-seed Akiko Morigami in the championship round to take home the $75k prize on March 4. She won a wildcard to the main event of the Indian Wells Open, where she made her Tier I debut. Martina Hingis eliminated her in the second round. In October, she advanced to the semifinals of the Japan Open in Tokyo, marking her first semifinal appearance on the WTA Tour. She advanced to a WTA semifinal for the first time since Tine Scheuer-Larsen in Bregenz in 1986, but Venus Williams defeated her in straight sets.
Occupational Career
First WTA Tour victory in 2008
On her way to the round of 16 at the Australian Open, where she lost to fourth-seeded Ana Ivanovic, Wozniacki overcame Gisela Dulko and 21st seed Alona Bondarenko. Wozniacki's seed position at the French Open was 30, making this the first Grand Slam competition in which she had a seed. She was defeated by eventual winner and No. 2 in the world Ana Ivanovic in the third round once more. She advanced to the third round at Wimbledon but was defeated by Jelena Jankovi, the second-seeded player.
At the Nordic Light Open in Stockholm, Wozniacki won her first WTA Tour championship without dropping a set. She defeated top seed and world No. 10 Agnieszka Radwaska in the semifinals and Vera Dushevina in the championship match. She defeated world No. 12 Daniela Hantuchova in the second round of the Beijing Summer Olympics before falling to eventual gold medallist Elena Dementieva. In order to reach the final, where she shocked world No. 11 Anna Chakvetadze, Wozniacki defeated three seeded players on the New Haven Open, Dominika Cibulková, Marion Bartoli, and Alizé Cornet.
At the US Open, Wozniacki had the 21st seed. She overcame world No. 14 Victoria Azarenka in the third round before falling to the second-seeded Jelena Jankovi, who ultimately finished in second place. She was defeated by Spanish player Anabel Medina Garrigues in the opening round of the China Open. The Chinese pair of Han Xinyun and Xu Yifan were defeated by her and Medina Garrigues as they won the doubles match. Wozniacki had won her maiden WTA doubles championship. She earned her third career victory by defeating Estonian Kaia Kanepi in the final at the Tier III Japan Open, where she was the top seed for the first time on the WTA Tour. The following day, Wozniacki competed in the Danish Open in her native Odense. She won the competition after a streak of strong showings by defeating world No. 64 Sofia Arvidsson.
Wozniacki finished the year with a final win-loss record of 58-20 in singles and 8-9 in doubles (ITF matches included, exhibition matches excluded). She was rated 12th in singles and 79th in doubles at the end of the year. In the battle for a spot in the WTA Finals, she came in 13th. She received the 2008 Newcomer of the Year award.
A top-5 rating and first Grand Slam final in 2009
In Auckland, where she began the year, Wozniacki lost to Elena Vesnina in the quarterfinals. In Sydney, she too advanced to the quarterfinals but lost to Serena Williams, the No. 2 player in the world, despite having three match points. Wozniacki, the 11th seed in the Australian Open, was defeated by Jelena Dokic in the third round.
In the quarterfinals in Pattaya, she was defeated by Magdaléna Rybáriková. Wozniacki, the top seed at the Cellular South Cup in Memphis, fell to Victoria Azarenka in the championship match after she and Azarenka teamed up to upset Michall Krajicek and Yuliana Fedak in the doubles final.
The following two Premier Mandatory competitions of the year saw Wozniacki compete. She fell to eventual winner Vera Zvonareva in the quarterfinals at Indian Wells. She defeated Elena Dementieva in Miami for her first victory before falling to Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals.
At the Amelia Island Championships on green clay in Ponte Vedra Beach, where she defeated Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak, Wozniacki won her first championship of the year. She beat top-seeded Elena Dementieva in Charleston's semifinals before falling to Sabine Lisicki in the championship match.
Wozniacki lost in the second round of her subsequent two tournaments, against Marion Bartoli in Stuttgart, and in the third round to Victoria Azarenka in Rome. She competed in the inaugural Premier Mandatory Madrid Open final, but world No. 1 Dinara Safina defeated her. Prior to taking the top spot in the world in October 2010, this was Wozniacki's only contest against an incumbent. She lost to Sorana Cîrstea in the third round of the French Open after being seeded tenth. They played doubles together but fell short in the opening round.
On the Eastbourne grass, Wozniacki won her second championship of the year. She won the competition by defeating Virginie Razzano. She was Wimbledon's ninth-seeded player but fell to Sabine Lisicki in the fourth round.
She was defeated by Maria José Martnez Sánchez in the Swedish Open final on her 19th birthday. At the LA Women's Tennis Championships on hardcourt, she was defeated by Sorana Cîrstea in the second round. She advanced to the Cincinnati Open quarterfinals before falling to Elena Dementieva. She was defeated by Zheng Jie in the first round of the Toronto tournament, but she went on to successfully defend her title at the Pilot Pen Tennis in New Haven without dropping a set. She defeated Edina Gallovits in the opening round, 6-0, 6-0, for her first career double bagel victory. She defeated Elena Vesnina in the final to win her third championship of the year.
As the ninth seed at the US Open, Wozniacki had her best success to date by becoming the first person from Denmark to win a Grand Slam tournament. On the way to the final, she defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova, the current French Open champion, in a tough three-set match in the fourth round. She then defeated Melanie Oudin in the quarterfinals and Yanina Wickmayer in the semifinals in straight sets. In the championship match, she lost to Kim Clijsters.
She retired against Aleksandra Wozniak in the second round of the Pan Pacific Open after being down 0-5 due to a viral ailment. She later suffered defeats to Samantha Stosur in the Osaka semifinals and Maria José Martnez Sánchez in the opening round of the China Open. She resigned in the first round of a match against Anne Kremer the next week in Luxembourg due to a hamstring strain while leading 7-5, 5-0. Because of the result, this sparked debate.
Wozniacki's outstanding 2009 performance earned her a spot in the first WTA Tour Championships in Doha. She made it to the semifinals by winning two of her three group bouts. Against Serena Williams, the No. 1 player in the world, she battled a stomach strain and a left thigh ailment before retiring with a deficit of 6-4, 0-1.
World No. 1 and first WTA Premier Mandatory victory in 2010
Wozniacki lost to Li Na of China in the opening round of the Sydney Open, the first WTA event of the year for her. She received her first top-eight seed in a Grand Slam when she was seeded fourth at the Australian Open. She lost to Li once more, this time in straight sets, in the fourth round. Despite losing in the fourth round, Wozniacki finished third, a career high.
Wozniacki, the second seed at Indian Wells, advanced to the final but fell to Jelena Jankovi, the former world No. 1. With this outcome, she rose to a new career-high position of No. 2 in the world. Wozniacki fell to the recently-returned Justine Henin in the Miami Open quarterfinal.
She won the championship of her subsequent tournament in Ponte Vedra Beach by defeating Olga Govortsova. Wozniacki then participated in the Charleston Family Circle Cup. She made it to the semifinals and ran into Vera Zvonareva there. When Wozniacki rolled her ankle, she was forced to retire with a 2-5 deficit.
She competed in events throughout the clay-court season despite her chronic ankle issue, losing her opening matches in Stuttgart, Rome, and Madrid. Later, she advanced to Warsaw's quarterfinals before quitting after dropping the opening set.
At the French Open, Wozniacki had the third overall seed. She reached the fourth round of the Roland Garros tournament without losing a set, which was her best performance there. She beat Flavia Pennetta in the round of 16 in three sets before falling to Francesca Schiavone, the eventual champion, in the quarterfinals. In doubles, Wozniacki teamed up with Daniela Hantuchová, but they withdrew prior to their match against the Williams sisters in the second round due to Hantuchová's right shoulder issue.
Wozniacki, the defending champion, was defeated by Aravane Reza in the opening round of the Eastbourne International, her first grass-court competition of the year. At Wimbledon, Wozniacki was the third seed, and she advanced to the fourth round by defeating Tathiana Garbin, Chang Kai-chen, and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
At the first Danish Open, Wozniacki was the top seed. It was the first WTA Tour event in Denmark, and it was primarily made possible by Wozniacki's success in that country. By defeating Klára Zakopalová, she captured her second championship of the year.
She was defeated by Marion Bartoli in the third round in Cincinnati. Due to severe rain, Wozniacki, the second seed in Montreal, was forced to postpone her semifinal match against Svetlana Kuznetsova by two days. She won her third singles championship of the year by defeating Vera Zvonareva and Kuznetsova on the same day. Wozniacki won her third straight victory in New Haven after defeating Nadia Petrova in the championship match as the top seed there. She also triumphed in the US Open Series as a result of this.
Serena Williams, the No. 1 player in the world, withdrew from the US Open, making Wozniacki the tournament's top seed. After making it to the semifinals, she was defeated by Vera Zvonareva. With her appearance in the semifinals, Wozniacki joined Venus Williams as the only women to have advanced to at least the fourth round of all four Grand Slam competitions in 2010.
The Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo served as her debut competition during the Asian hard-court season. She defeated Elena Dementieva in the year's final after winning back-to-back three-set matches against the latter player and Victoria Azarenka.
She then registered for the Beijing China Open. Wozniacki faced Petra Kvitová in the third round, who had destroyed her at Wimbledon. After the tournament, Wozniacki overcame that setback to become the new world No. 1 in place of Serena Williams. She became the fifth player to hold the top spot without having taken first place in a Grand Slam competition. She also became the first player from Denmark to hold the top spot, male or female. Wozniacki ultimately prevailed in the competition, winning her sixth championship of the year and twelfth overall by defeating Zvonareva in the final.
Wozniacki was placed in a group with Francesca Schiavone, Samantha Stosur, and Elena Dementieva at the year-ending WTA Championships in Doha. In her opening round-robin match, she overcame Dementieva, but in the following match, she fell to Stosur. She defeated Schiavone in her last round-robin match to win the group, clinching the world No. 1 ranking for the year, and earning a spot in the semifinals to play Vera Zvonareva, the victor of the opposite group. After defeating her, Wozniacki fell to Kim Clijsters in the championship match, three sets to one. Wozniacki had the most WTA Tour singles titles at the end of the season with six. No other player won more than two; Clijsters took home five victories.
2011: Number one at year's conclusion for a second year in a row.
Wozniacki changed her racquet manufacturer from Babolat to Yonex during the off-season. She lost an exhibition match in Thailand against Kim Clijsters, which served as the start of her 2011 campaign, in a super tie-break. Later, Wozniacki participated in another exhibition match while captaining Team Europe at the Hong Kong Tennis Classic. She defeated Team Asia Pacific in two of their matches before losing to Team Russia in the championship match to world No. 2 Vera Zvonareva. The Sydney International served as her debut WTA competition. She was given a bye into the second round, when Dominika Cibulkova defeated her.
Wozniacki won her maiden major title as the top player at the Australian Open. When she attempted to serve out the match at 5-4 in the second set, she was defeated by Li Na in the semifinals after failing to convert a match point.
During the week of February 14th, Wozniacki fell to No. 2 behind Clijsters, but she rose back to the top position the following week. She was given a bye into the second round in Dubai, and she defeated Shahar Pe'er in the quarterfinals to lock up the top spot in the upcoming rankings update. Her 13th singles championship and first of the year were won after she defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final. She had a bye into the second round in Doha and beat Nadia Petrova, Flavia Pennetta, and Marion Bartoli in straight sets to advance to the final. In the final, she was defeated by Vera Zvonareva. Wozniacki advanced to the final of the first Premier Mandatory match of the year at Indian Wells, where she triumphed over Marion Bartoli to win her 14th singles championship. She was defeated by 21st seed Andrea Petkovic in the fourth round of the Miami Open. When questioned about her uncharacteristic 52 unforced errors, she claimed that she had been playing a lot of matches.
Wozniacki reached the Family Circle Cup final, where she defeated unseeded Elena Vesnina to win her third championship of the year and 15th overall. She reached her fifth annual final in Stuttgart, when Julia Görges defeated her in straight sets. Wozniacki fell victim to Görges once more in Madrid, this time in the third round. In Rome, she was defeated in the semifinals by eventual champion Maria Sharapova. Wozniacki upset Francesca Schiavone, the third seed and defending French Open winner, to advance to the quarterfinals of the Brussels Open. After winning three titles on the quicker green clay, Wozniacki upset eighth seed Peng Shuai in the final to claim her sixth trophy of the year and her first on red clay. Wozniacki, the top seed at the French Open, was defeated by Daniela Hantuchova, the 28th seed, in the third round.
The Danish Open, held in Wozniacki's home nation, was her next competition. She won the match against fourth-seeded Lucie afáová, earning her sixth championship of the year. She won all of her straight-set matches at Wimbledon up until the fourth round, when she lost to Dominika Cibulková, the 24th seed.
Wozniacki left the Rogers Cup early in the second round. Despite having a 5-1 lead in the second set, Roberta Vinci defeated her in straight sets. At the Cincinnati Open, Wozniacki was the top seed, but she was defeated by Christina McHale, ranked 76th in the world, in the second round. Wozniacki then competed in the New Haven Open, where she defeated qualifier Petra Cetkovská in the final and Francesca Schiavone in the semifinals to win the championship for the fourth consecutive year.
Wozniacki was the top seed at the US Open. She defeated Nuria Llagostera Vives in the opening round. Wozniacki defeated Arantxa Rus in the second round, and Vania King in the third. In the fourth round, Wozniacki defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova after coming back from a 7-6, 4-1 deficit. After defeating Andrea Petkovic in the quarterfinals, Wozniacki advanced to the semifinals. Serena Williams won their semifinal match, which she lost.
In the third round in Tokyo, Kaia Kanepi defeated Wozniacki. She was defeated by Flavia Pennetta in the quarterfinals in Beijing. In the 12 quarterfinal matches she played in 2011, Wozniacki only suffered this one defeat.
Wozniacki was the WTA Championships' top seed. She upset Agnieszka Radwaska in the group stage but ultimately fell short to Vera Zvonareva. Additionally, she fell to Petra Kvitová in her last round-robin match, missing the semifinals for the first time in her previous three appearances. For the second year in a row, she won the world championship. She just edged Petra for the year's top spot in terms of points, but Petra won all Player of the Year honours.
2012: Beginning of singles decline
With Frederik Nielsen as her partner, Wozniacki started her season by representing Denmark at the 2012 Hopman Cup. Wozniacki defeated Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Tsvetana Pironkova in two of her three singles round-robin victories before falling to world No. 2 Petra Kvitová. She won her maiden WTA Tour match at the Sydney International against Dominika Cibulkova after falling behind 4-0 in the third set. She served for the match at 5-4 up in the second set but fell to Agnieszka Radwaska in three games in the quarterfinals.
At the Australian Open, Wozniacki competed as the top seed. She won all four of her matches against Anastasia Rodionova, Anna Tatishvili, Monica Niculescu, and Jelena Jankovi in straight sets to get to the quarterfinals, where she fell to Kim Clijsters, the defending champion. As a result, Wozniacki dropped to No. 2 and was succeeded by Victoria Azarenka, the 2012 winner. After receiving a first-round bye, Wozniacki competed in Doha where she was defeated by Lucie afáová in the second round. Wozniacki was the defending champion in both Dubai and Indian Wells, however she was defeated by Julia Görges and Ana Ivanovic to forfeit both titles.
By defeating Barbora Zhlavová-Strcová, Petra Cetkovská, Yanina Wickmayer, and Serena Williams all in straight sets, Wozniacki advanced to the Miami semifinals. The second-seeded Maria Sharapova ultimately defeated Wozniacki. Due to WTA regulations prohibiting her from competing because two of the top-6 players had already entered the draw, Wozniacki was unable to successfully defend her title in Charleston. Later, in Copenhagen, Wozniacki participated in a tournament there. Her defeat by Angelique Kerber in the championship match was her tournament's first setback since it began in 2010.
She then participated in the French Open, where she was defeated in the third round in three sets by Kaia Kanepi. She was defeated by Tamira Paszek of Austria in the opening round of Wimbledon. Since making her professional debut at the 2007 French Open, it was the first time she had lost in the first round of a Grand Slam.
Wozniacki, who was seeded eighth in the women's singles competition, represented Denmark in the Olympics. She defeated Daniela Hantuchová, Yanina Wickmayer, and Anne Keothavong in the opening three rounds. Serena Williams, the eventual winner, beat her in the quarterfinals. She then competed in the Rogers Cup, where she lost to Petra Kvitova in the semifinals, and the Western & Southern Open, where Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova defeated her in the third round. Wozniacki, the four-time reigning champion at the New Haven Open, retired against Maria Kirilenko in the semifinals because of a right knee injury that she had sustained during her victory over Dominika Cibulkova in the quarterfinals.
Wozniacki was seeded eighth at the US Open but lost in the first round due to her ongoing ailment. The 96th-ranked Romanian, Irina-Camelia Begu, defeated her in two sets. Wozniacki's loss caused her to leave the top 10 for the first time in three years. After losing at the US Open, Wozniacki triumphed in Seoul, taking over Arantxa Rus, Caroline Garcia, Klára Zakopalová, Ekaterina Makarova, and Kaia Kanepi in the championship match. Her 19th career triumph, she said.
In Tokyo, she competed in the Pan Pacific Open as her next match. She won over Li Na, Daniela Hantuchova, and Bojana Jovanovski before falling to Agnieszka Radwaska in the quarterfinals. Wozniacki won over Chanelle Scheepers and Hsieh Su-wei in the China Open in Beijing, however she fell to Angelique Kerber in the third round. The Kremlin Cup was Wozniacki's following competition. She beat top seed Samantha Stosur in the championship match in three sets as the third seed in the competition, winning her second championship of the year and 20th overall. Wozniacki won all three of her group matches at the Tournament of Champions at the end of the year in Sofia. She advanced to the final but fell to Nadia Petrova. She was ranked 10th at year's conclusion.
Wozniacki stuffed towels into her top and skirt in order to mimic friend and fellow tennis player Serena Williams' huge rear end and breast during an exhibition match in Brazil in December 2012. On social media, this action sparked conflicting reactions. Wozniacki was acknowledged to have performed the imitation in the past without incident. In an email to USA Today, Williams defended Wozniacki and said that the two are friends and that the incident was not racist. Williams continued, though, by saying that if people feel this way, she should try something else the next time.
2013: Formal difficulties persist
Wozniacki started the year in Brisbane, where, despite being the eighth seed, she was defeated in the opening round by Ksenia Pervak, a qualifier, in three sets. The next year, Wozniacki participated in the Sydney International, where she overcame Urszula Radwaska but fell to Kuznetsova in the second round. Wozniacki won over Lesia Tsurenko, Donna Veki, and Sabine Lisicki at the Australian Open before falling to Kuznetsova once more, this time in the fourth round.
Her next competition was the Qatar Ladies Open, where she advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating Mona Barthel, Sorana Cîrstea, and Mervana Jugi-Salki before falling to Agnieszka Radwaska. Wozniacki advanced to the semifinals in Dubai after defeating Lucie afáová, Zheng Jie, and Marion Bartoli before falling to Petra Kvitova, the eventual winner. She was defeated by Wang Qiang in the opening round of the Malaysian Open. Then, at the BNP Paribas Showdown in Hong Kong, she participated in an exhibition match. She had been cast as Li Na, however she had to drop out due to an injury. Wozniacki lost in straight sets as she took on Agnieszka Radwanska, the world No. 4 who was supposed to replace Li.
She won matches against Alizé Cornet, Elena Vesnina, and Nadia Petrova in the Indian Wells Open before Victoria Azarenka, the defending champion, withdrew due to a foot ailment. Wozniacki beat Angelique Kerber in the quarterfinals to go to her first final of the year, but she fell to Maria Sharapova in the championship match. Wozniacki advanced to the third round of her subsequent competition, the Sony Open in Miami, where she was defeated by Garbie Muguruza.
Wozniacki started the clay-court season with defeating Stefanie Vögele in the Family Circle Cup quarterfinals. In addition to Carla Suárez Navarro in Stuttgart, Yaroslava Shvedova in Madrid, Bojana Jovanovski in Rome, and Zheng Jie in Brussels, Wozniacki was defeated in the opening round by each of these players. Wozniacki overcame Laura Robson in the first round of the French Open before falling to Jovanovski again in the second.
She started her grass-court season at the Eastbourne International, where she beat qualifier Jamie Hampton before advancing to the semifinals with wins over Tamira Paszek, Laura Robson, and Ekaterina Makarova. At Wimbledon, Wozniacki defeated Estrella Cabeza Candela in the opening round. She competed against Petra Cetkovská in round two. Wozniacki injured her ankle in the fourth game of the first set, when the score was 2-1 and she was serving. She received care, but it was clear that she was having trouble, and she ultimately lost the match. Several athletes, including Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Victoria Azarenka, and Maria Sharapova slipped and hurt themselves, including Wozniacki. Wozniacki questioned if the tournament's preparation was the same as in prior years after the match, saying, "I just know that it's just not really fun to be out there when you feel like you can't really push off on your foot."
Despite having double match point in the second set, Wozniacki's miserable season continued at the Rogers Cup, where she was defeated by Sorana Cîrstea in the second round. After defeating Monica Niculescu, Petra Kvitova, and Peng Shuai to advance to the Western & Southern Open quarterfinals, she suffered her first loss to Victoria Azarenka since 2009. Wozniacki then competed at Yale's New Haven Open. She defeated Sloane Stephens, Karin Knapp, and Peng to go to the semifinals before falling to Simona Halep in straight sets. Wozniacki won in straight sets over Duan Yingying and Chanelle Scheepers at the US Open before falling to qualifier Camila Giorgi in the third round. For the first time since 2008, Wozniacki failed to advance past the quarterfinals in any of the four Grand Slam competitions.
She won against Flavia Pennetta, Magdaléna Rybáriková, and Lucie afáová on her way to the semifinals of the Pan Pacific Open during the Asian swing, when she fell to Angelique Kerber. She received a bye into the second round of her subsequent competition in Beijing along with the other three Tokyo semifinalists, where she was ranked sixth. After defeating Monica Niculescu and Sloane Stephens to go to the quarterfinals, Wozniacki fell to eventual champion and world No. 1 Serena Williams.
The Luxembourg Open, Wozniacki's penultimate competition of the year, saw her earn top seed status. She defeated the Serb in a three-set quarterfinal to snap a two-match losing streak to the Serb. She then defeated Sabine Lisicki, a Wimbledon finalist, to advance to the championship round, where she then defeated German Annika Beck in straight sets to claim the year's first and only victory. Despite winning, Wozniacki was unable to qualify for the year-ending Tour Championships in Istanbul because Angelique Kerber had won the WTA International tournament in Linz, Austria, the previous week, securing the final berth. Wozniacki qualified for the Tournament of Champions in Sofia by winning Luxembourg, but she finally decided not to go. She was No. 10 in the world at the end of the year.
2014: A comeback and a second Grand Slam championship
Wozniacki changed her racquet brand from Yonex to Babolat during the off-season. Due to a right shoulder injury, she was unable to start the season in Brisbane as planned. Instead, she started it in Sydney, where she beat Julia Görges in three sets before falling to Lucie afáová in the second round. In the third round of the Australian Open, she was defeated by Garbie Muguruza in three sets.
Wozniacki participated in the Qatar Ladies Open, where she lost to Yanina Wickmayer despite being seeded ninth. She beat Sabine Lisicki, Annika Beck, and Sorana Cîrstea to go to the semifinals in Dubai the following week before losing to eventual champion Venus Williams.
The Indian Wells Open was her next competition, and she was defending her runner-up position. She defeated Bojana Jovanovski and Yaroslava Shvedova to get to the fourth round, but lost to Jelena Jankovi and dropped to world No. 18, her lowest position since 2010. She bounced back by making it to the Miami Open quarterfinals, defeating Monica Puig, Sloane Stephens, and Varvara Lepchenko before falling to Li Na. Wozniacki made her professional tennis debut at the Monterry Open, where she advanced to the semifinals by beating CoCo Vandeweghe, Kristina Mladenovic, and Karolna Plková before falling to eventual champion Ana Ivanovic.
The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix was supposed to be her first event of the clay-court season, but she had to pull out due to a left wrist injury. Instead, she competed at the Madrid Open, where she won over Ekaterina Makarova to go to the second round before falling to Roberta Vinci due to a knee injury. She withdrew from the Internazionali d'Italia the following week in Rome due to the same issue. Wozniacki lost to Yanina Wickmayer in three sets in the opening round of the French Open.
Wozniacki had a stellar grass-court season, reaching the Eastbourne International quarterfinals with victories over Samantha Stosur, Sloane Stephens, and Camila Giorgi before falling to eventual champion Angelique Kerber. Wozniacki defeated Shahar Pe'er, Naomi Broady, and Ana Konjuh in straight sets at the Wimbledon Championships to go to the fourth round for the fourth time in her career, however she ultimately fell to Barbora Záhlavová-Strcová.
At the Istanbul Cup, Wozniacki won her first championship of the year. To win the title, she bested Belinda Bencic, Karin Knapp, Karolna Plková, Kristina Mladenovic, and Roberta Vinci.
Rogers Cup was her opening match of the 2014 US Open Series. She defeated Shelby Rogers, Klára Koukalová, and Daniela Hantuchová in straight sets to go to the quarterfinals before falling to top seed Serena Williams. She defeated Agnieszka Radwanska, Angelique Kerber, and Zhang Shuai at the Western & Southern Open. She lost in three sets to eventual champion Williams in the semifinals.
The US Open was Wozniacki's next competition, and she entered as the tenth seed. In her first match, she took on Magdaléna Rybáriková, and won when her opponent was forced to retire early in the third set. In the next round, she defeated qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich in straight sets. She defeated 18th seed Andrea Petkovic in the third round with ease, giving her her first victory over a seeded player at a grand slam since 2012. For the first time since the 2012 Australian Open, Wozniacki advanced to the quarterfinals of a major slam by upsetting former world No. 1 and champion Maria Sharapova in the fourth round. She lost just one game in the quarterfinals to easily defeat Sara Errani. Wozniacki faced off against Peng Shuai, an unseeded opponent, in the semifinals. When Wozniacki's opponent was forced to retire due to a severe heat-related illness, she was leading the match by a set. This gave Wozniacki the opportunity to advance to her second Grand Slam final and her first since the 2009 US Open. Wozniacki faced Serena Williams in the championship match for the third time in four weeks and lost to the No. 1 player in the world. Wozniacki returned to the top 10 for the first time since February as a result of her journey to the final.
She participated in the Pan Pacific Open during the autumn. She faced Australian qualifier Jarmila Gajdoová in the second round after receiving a bye as the second seed. Wozniacki came back from being down to win. She faced Carla Suárez Navarro in the quarterfinals, who she easily defeated to go to the semifinals. Wozniacki defeated unseeded Spaniard Garbie Muguruza, who she had never defeated, in a gruelling encounter in three sets to go to a matchup with Ana Ivanovic. Wozniacki lost to the Serbian in straight sets in her third championship match of the year. The Wuhan Open was Wozniacki's following competition. She was given a bye into the second round because she was the eighth seed, and there she beat Carla Suárez Navarro in three sets. Wozniacki advanced to the semifinals by defeating Casey Dellacqua and Timea Bacsinszky, but ultimately fell to Eugenie Bouchard in straight sets.
She participated in the China Open the following week and was given a bye into the second round because she had placed in the semifinals in Wuhan. In her first match in the competition, Samantha Stosur defeated her and eliminated her. On October 2, it was revealed that Wozniacki had earned a spot in the WTA Finals.
Wozniacki was placed in the White Group of the WTA Finals together with Sharapova, Kvitova, and Radwanska. She defeated Maria Sharapova in three sets in her opening encounter. Agnieszka Radwanska was eventually defeated by her in straight sets. Wozniacki advanced to the semifinals as Sharapova defeated Radwaska in three sets. She then defeated Kvitova in straight sets, finishing her round robin matches unbeaten. Despite serving for the match in the third set and having a 4-1 lead in the third set tiebreak, she would lose to Serena Williams in the semifinals in three sets. She was rated eighth at the end of the year.
Wozniacki then made the decision to participate in the 2014 New York City Marathon. A time of 3 hours, 26 minutes, and 33 seconds was entered by the woman. She insisted that the running workouts had benefited her and helped her achieve successful results at the WTA Finals and the US Open.
Out of the top 10 and a disappointing year-end position for 2015
Wozniacki began her campaign at the Auckland Open as the No. 1 seed, reached the championship match, but fell to Venus Williams in three sets. The eighth-seeded Wozniacki lost in straight sets to Victoria Azarenka in the second round of the Australian Open despite being a fellow former world number one and two-time champion. She returned to No. 5 after the competition. The next year, Wozniacki competed in the Dubai Tennis Championships, reaching the quarterfinals before falling to eventual champion Simona Halep in three sets. The Qatar Open, where Wozniacki was seeded second, was her ensuing competition. But in the quarterfinals, she suffered a straight-sets defeat to fellow former No. 1 Victoria Azarenka, winning just four games. At the Malaysian Open, she bounced back and won the title by defeating Alexandra Dulgheru in the championship match in three sets.
The Indian Wells Open, where Wozniacki was seeded fourth, was her next competition. She defeated Ons Jabeur in the second round before falling to Belinda Bencic in straight sets in the third. She then competed in the Miami Open, defeating Kaia Kanepi in the third round and Madison Brengle in the second. In the fourth round, she was defeated by Venus Williams in a single set.
In Stuttgart, Wozniacki began her clay-court season as the fourth seed. She defeated Lucie afáová in straight sets in the second round. She defeated Carla Suárez Navarro in the quarterfinals in just three games to get to the semifinals. She won a thrilling three-set match against Simona Halep in the semifinals to go to her first clay court final since 2011. Despite serving for the match in the third set, she was defeated by Angelique Kerber in the final in three sets. Wozniacki's next competition was the Mutua Madrid Open, where she defeated Agnieszka Radwaska, Christina McHale, and Jarmila Gajdoová to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2009. Maria Sharapova defeated her in the quarterfinals in three sets. The Italian Open served as Wozniacki's following competition. For the third time in straight sets, she was defeated by Victoria Azarenka in the second round. Then, as the fifth seed, Wozniacki competed at the French Open. She defeated Julia Görges in the second round in straight sets after defeating Karin Knapp in straight sets in the first.
She defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova in three sets and Jarmila Gajdoová in straight sets at the Eastbourne International to advance to the quarterfinals. She advanced to the semifinals where she faced Belinda Bencic after defeating Andrea Petkovic in straight sets. She dropped out of the match after dropping the first three games because of a back issue. The fifth seed Wozniacki then competed at Wimbledon. She advanced to the fourth round by defeating Camila Giorgi, Denisa Allertová, and Zheng Saisai, but lost in straight sets to eventual champion Garbie Muguruza. Despite the setback, Wozniacki rose to No. 4 again.
Due to an ankle ailment, her summer hardcourt season got off to a slow start. Her early losses to Varvara Lepchenko, Belinda Bencic, and Victoria Azarenka at Stanford, Toronto, and Cincinnati were all due to this ailment. After that, Wozniacki competed at the Connecticut Open. She defeated Alison Riske in the opening round to earn her maiden victory. In order to move to the quarterfinals, she then defeated Roberta Vinci in three sets, fending off three match points in the third-set tiebreak. She easily defeated Caroline Garcia before falling to Petra Kvitová in straight sets in the semifinals. The fourth seed Wozniacki then competed in the US Open. She advanced to the second round after a straightforward victory against Jamie Loeb, where she was beaten by Petra Cetkovská in a tight three-set encounter despite having four match points.
At the Pan Pacific Open, Wozniacki started her swing on Asian hardcourts. She received a bye into the second round due to her top seed status, where she easily defeated Ana Konjuh. In the quarterfinals, she next overcame Angelique Kerber in three sets. She fell to Belinda Bencic in straight sets for the fourth time in a row in the semifinals. The Wuhan Open was Wozniacki's following competition. Despite being up a set and a break, she was defeated by Anna Karolna Schmiedlová in the second round in three sets. The China Open was Wozniacki's following competition. She advanced to the third round by defeating Wang Qiang after winning ten straight games after defeating Bojana Jovanovski in the opening round. She was defeated in straight sets by Angelique Kerber. Wozniacki's chances of making the WTA Finals were eliminated by the defeat.
She competed in the Ladies Linz, where she defeated Mirjana Lui-Baroni in three sets before falling to Kirsten Flipkens in straight sets in the second round. Although she was not selected for the WTA Finals, she was selected for the Elite Trophy and placed in Group D with Roberta Vinci and Svetlana Kuznetsova. Wozniacki left the competition after quitting her opening match against Svetlana Kuznetsova. Her final year-end position was No. 17, which was the lowest it had been since 2007.
Early injuries and a comeback in 2016
At the Auckland Open, where she was defending her finalist position, Wozniacki started her 2016 campaign. She defeated Christina McHale, Danka Kovini, and Alexandra Dulgheru en route to the semifinals, where she was defeated in straight sets by eventual champion Sloane Stephens. The Australian Open was Wozniacki's next competition, and it was there that she had her worst tournament performance, losing in three sets to Yulia Putintseva in the opening round.
The St. Petersburg Ladies' Trophy was the second match she played in. In the second round, she was defeated by Dominika Cibulková in straight sets. Wozniacki then competed in the Qatar Ladies Open, where she defeated Ana Konjuh in the opening round after needing nine match points. In the third set, a double break put her ahead at one point. She faced Daria Gavrilova in the second round, which she won in straight sets. The third round match between Wozniacki and Elena Vesnina ended in a loss. Instead of defending her championship in Kuala Lumpur, Wozniacki participated in the Monterrey Open. She won against Mirjana Lui-Baroni and Olga Govortsova in the first and second rounds, respectively, but lost to eventual champion Heather Watson in the quarterfinals. Later, Caroline competed in the BNP Paribas Open but was defeated by Zhang Shuai in the second round. At 3 hours and 24 minutes, this match was the longest thus far in 2016. Then, in the Miami Open, Wozniacki got off to a strong start by defeating Vania King, but she ultimately lost to Elina Svitolina, the 12th seed.
Wozniacki had multiple clay court tournaments on the schedule, but an ankle injury sustained during a practise forced her to miss the entire clay court season. Wozniacki's ranking dropped from 22 to 34 during this layoff, the lowest since May 2008. She pulled out of the French Open due to an ankle injury.
Wozniacki competed in Nottingham, her first match since the Miami Open in March and the first match following the appointment of David Kotyza as her new coach. She defeated ala Büyükakçay in her first victory in ten weeks, but in the second round, she lost to Anett Kontaveit in yet another three-set battle. Wozniacki participated in the Eastbourne International, which was her final competition before Wimbledon. She defeated Alizé Cornet and seventh-seeded Sam Stosur, surrendering only seven games in the two sets, indicating some progress after her loss of form and injuries. However, she was defeated in a three-set encounter by qualifier Monica Puig. She entered Wimbledon without a seed for the first time since the Australian Open of 2008, and after losing to Svetlana Kuznetsova in the opening round, she dropped out of the top 50 for the first time since February 2008.
Wozniacki competed at the Washington Open to start her US hardcourt season. She proceeded to defeat Hiroko Kuwata in the first round before retiring against Sam Stosur in the second round despite leading 7-5 in the set due to a sudden soreness in her left arm. She had to withdraw from The Rogers Cup due to this injury. She later participated in the summer Olympics. She defeated Lucie Hradecka after dropping four games, however she was defeated by Petra Kvitová in the next round. She lost to the talented Latvian Jelena Ostapenko in the opening round of the Connecticut Open, ending her streak of winning matches. At the US Open, Wozniacki's season, however, changed for the better. In the second round, she upset Svetlana Kuznetsova after easily defeating Taylor Townsend in three sets. She then defeated Monica Niculescu in two sets to get to the fourth round, where she defeated unseeded Anastasija Sevastova to advance to the semifinals and then defeated Madison Keys in two sets. Wozniacki fell to then-new No. 1 Angelique Kerber in the semifinals, losing in two sets, and finished outside the top 30 for the first time since April of this year.
The Pan Pacific Open was her next stop. Wozniacki overcame Belinda Bencic in three sets in the opening round after losing to her the year before. She eliminated fourth-seeded Carla Suárez Navarro in the second round, then overcame qualifier Magda Linette in straight sets. After defeating the reigning champion Agnieszka Radwanska in the semifinals, Caroline Wozniacki advanced to her first final since April of the previous year. She defeated Naomi Osaka of Japan in the championship match to earn her 24th WTA Tour championship and first crown since March 2015. Furthermore, Wozniacki won her first Premier-level match since 2012.
In Wuhan, Wozniacki continued her Asian tour. She got off to a fantastic start by beating Samantha Stosur there. Wozniacki once more met Agnieszka Radwaska in the third round, but this time Radwaska prevailed. Later, Wozniacki participated in the China Open. Before facing Radwaska for the third time in three weeks, she easily defeated CoCo Vandeweghe and Roberta Vinci in her first two matches. Again triumphant, Radwaska defeated Wozniacki in straight sets.
At the Hong Kong Open, Wozniacki won her second championship of the year and 25th overall. She triumphed over Heather Watson, Wang Qiang, Jelena Jankovi, and Kristina Mladenovic in addition to Zheng Saisai. For the first time since 2012, Wozniacki won two WTA Tour championships in the same year. She climbed back into the top 20 with the victory.
Wozniacki competed in the Luxembourg Open to finish the year. The No. 2 seed defeated Madison Brengle in the first round with ease and outlasted Sabine Lisicki in the second round. She was subsequently forced to quit due to illness in the quarterfinals. Wozniacki finished her unpredictable season ranked No. 19 (after falling as low as No. 74) and did not compete in the WTA Elite Trophy.
2017: WTA Finals crown and return to top 3
Wozniacki once again started the year at the Auckland Open. She was the No. 3 seed this time. She had a fantastic start, easily defeating Nicole Gibbs and Varvara Lepchenko, but succumbed to Julia Görges in the quarterfinals in three sets after being up a set and a break. Wozniacki started the Sydney International as the tenth seed. She defeated Olympic gold medalist Monica Puig in three sets thanks to her strong tennis performance. The following match was a rematch of Wozniacki's first-round Australian Open matchup against Yulia Putintseva, which she won in straight sets. Despite twice having a break in the final set, she lost to Barbora Strcová in the quarterfinals in three tight sets.
The 17th seed at the Australian Open was Wozniacki. After beating Donna Veki and Arina Rodionova to go to the third round, she was defeated by Johanna Konta in straight sets.
In the opening two rounds of the Qatar Ladies Open, Wozniacki defeated Kiki Bertens and Agnieszka Radwanska in straight sets. She defeated Lauren Davis after saving two set points in the first game, then defeated Monica Puig to go to the championship match. She was defeated by Karolna Plková there. She then competed at the Dubai Championships, where she also advanced to the final by defeating Daria Kasatkina, Viktorija Golubic, Kateryna Bondarenko, CiCi Bellis, and Anastasija Sevastova, before falling to Elina Svitolina in the title match in straight sets. Despite finishing in second place, Wozniacki climbed back up to No. 14.
In the quarterfinals of the Indian Wells Open, Wozniacki fell to Kristina Mladenovic after defeating Magda Linette, Kateina Siniaková, and Madison Keys without dropping a set. She eliminated Garbie Muguruza in the Miami Open quarterfinals after winning in straight sets against Varvara Lepchenko and Sorana Cîrstea. She defeated Lucie afáová in straight sets in the quarterfinals, and then she defeated Karolna Plková in three sets in the semifinals to earn a spot in her first-ever Miami final and her first Premier Mandatory final since 2013. Johanna Konta defeated her in a straight-sets defeat.
The Charleston Open was where Wozniacki started her clay court season. She defeated Annika Beck and Anastasia Rodionova in straight sets to advance to the quarterfinals. There, she was defeated in straight sets by Jeena Ostapenko. In her subsequent encounter at the Prague Open, she defeated Misaki Doi in straight sets in the opening round before falling to Ostapenko once more in three sets despite holding a match point. Next, Wozniacki competed at the Madrid Open. She defeated Monica Niculescu in the opening round in three sets before falling to Carla Suárez Navarro in the same format. Wozniacki retired from her opening match against Shelby Rogers in Strasbourg. The 11th seed Wozniacki then competed at the French Open. She defeated Françoise Abanda without dropping a game after defeating Jaimee Fourlis in three sets in the opening round. She defeated CiCi Bellis in the third round in three sets before defeating former champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the next round to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 2010. For the third time in three sets, she was defeated by Jeena Ostapenko, the eventual champion.
At the Eastbourne International, Wozniacki defeated Elena Vesnina and Naomi Osaka in straight sets to start her season on grass courts. She defeated Simona Halep in the quarterfinals after falling behind a set and a double break. She then defeated Heather Watson in three sets to route to her fourth annual final, where she was defeated by Karolna Plková in straight sets. She then competed as the fifth seed at Wimbledon. She defeated Tsvetana Pironkova, a specialist on grass courts, in straight sets and Tmea Babos in three sets after coming back from a break down. She then defeated Anett Kontaveit in a come-from-behind three-set victory, advancing to the fourth round for a sixth time despite Kontaveit twice failing to serve for the match. She was defeated by CoCo Vandeweghe in just two sets.
In the Swedish Open, Wozniacki competed and advanced to her fifth final of the year after defeating Elise Mertens, Viktorija Golubic, Pauline Parmentier, and Kateryna Kozlova. However, she lost to Kateina Siniaková in the championship match. She started her hardcourt season in Toronto's Rogers Cup. In this match, she overcame Ekaterina Alexandrova to win her first-ever match in Toronto; later, in the quarterfinals, she defeated the current world No. 1 for the first time, defeating Karolina Plková in three sets. Wozniacki eventually reached her sixth final of 2017, however she lost to Elina Svitolina in this round once more. Wozniacki was moved back into the top 5 as a result. She subsequently competed in the Cincinnati Open, winning matches over Elena Vesnina and Ashleigh Barty before losing to world No. 1 Karolina Plková in the quarterfinals. She beat Mihaela Buzărnescu at the US Open before falling to Ekaterina Makarova in the second round.
She subsequently competed at the Pan Pacific Open, successfully defending her title by defeating Shelby Rogers, Dominika Cibulková, Garbie Muguruza, and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. She was defeated by Maria Sakkari in the opening round of the Wuhan Open. She fell to Petra Kvitová in straight sets in the third round of the China Open. She defeated Eugenie Bouchard in the first round of the Hong Kong Open before withdrawing from her subsequent match.
After losing to Elina Svitolina twice in finals, Wozniacki defeated her for the first time at the WTA Finals. She later won a straight-sets victory over Simona Halep, the world No. 1. She lost to Caroline Garcia in three sets in the third and final round robin match. She nonetheless advanced to the semifinals. She defeated Karolna Plková in straight sets in the semifinals to make it to the final for the first time since 2010, when she came in second. She defeated Venus Williams in the championship match for the first time to claim the biggest victory of her career. She rose to the third position in the world after winning the WTA Finals, her highest season-ending position since 2011.
Australian Open title and return to No. 1 in 2018
Wozniacki started her season in Auckland for the fourth time in a row. She was the top seed and made it to the final, but Julia Görges, who she had previously lost to in the quarterfinals the year before, won in straight sets.
Wozniacki's second-place seeding at the Australian Open was her highest since 2012. After falling behind 1-5 in the third set, she saved two match points to overcome Jana Fett in three sets before taking down Mihaela Buzărnescu in straight sets. To advance to the quarterfinals, she then defeated Kiki Bertens and Magdaléna Rybáriková in two sets each. She won three sets against Carla Suárez Navarro to reach her second Australian Open semifinal since 2011. She won in straight sets against Elise Mertens in the semifinals to reach her third Grand Slam final and first since 2014. Then, after trailing by a match point, she defeated top seed and world No. 1 Simona Halep in three sets to become the ninth woman to come back to win the championship. She regained the world No. 1 position on January 29, 2018, exactly six years after losing it, breaking Serena Williams' previous mark of five years, 29 days. This was accomplished by winning her first Grand Slam championship.
The St. Petersburg Ladies' Trophy was the competition she entered after that in the second round. In the quarterfinals, she fell to Daria Kasatkina after defeating Anastasia Potapova. She subsequently competed in the Qatar Ladies Open, where she beat Angelique Kerber, Monica Niculescu, and Carina Witthöft to advance to the semifinals. Despite having three match points, she ultimately fell to Petra Kvitová, the eventual champion, in three sets. Caroline Wozniacki's performance in Qatar made her just the fourth WTA player in history to win more over $30,000,000 in career prize money.
Wozniacki subsequently competed at the Indian Wells Open, where she was given a bye in the opening round. She won in straight sets and three sets over Lara Arruabarrena and Aliaksandra Sasnovich, before falling to eventual champion Daria Kasatkina in the fourth round. She signed up for the Miami Open a week later, when she also received a bye in the opening round. She was defeated in three sets by Olympic champion Monica Puig, though.
Wozniacki started her clay-court tour at the Istanbul Cup, where she advanced to the quarterfinals by beating Sara Errani and Ekaterina Alexandrova before bowing out to Pauline Parmentier. She subsequently competed at the Madrid Open, where she defeated Ashleigh Barty and Daria Gavrilova with ease before falling to eventual champion Kiki Bertens in straight sets. Wozniacki qualified for the quarterfinals and travelled to Rome for the first time in three years. She was given a bye in the first round, beat Anastasija Sevastova and Alison Van Uytvanck, but lost to an in-form Anett Kontaveit. She advanced to the fourth round of the French Open. However, after the match was stopped due to poor lighting, she fell to Daria Kasatkina in straight sets.
She competed at Eastbourne, where she won the title and improved on last year's performance by soundly defeating Camila Giorgi in round two. She then beat Johanna Konta for the first time in her career before defeating Ashleigh Barty in the quarterfinals. Then Wozniacki continued by holding off Angelique Kerber to get to her 53rd WTA final. She defeated Aryna Sabalenka in the championship match in two close sets to earn her 29th career victory. She won her 600th match overall in the championship. Wozniacki fell against Ekaterina Makarova in the Wimbledon second round after having five match points saved.
Wozniacki withdrew due to a right leg strain from her planned US Open Series debut in Washington. She participated in the Canadian Open instead, where she was given a bye in the opening round. Nevertheless, despite having three match points, she was defeated by Aryna Sabalenka in three sets. A week later, in Cincinnati, she was forced to leave her opening tournament match against Kiki Bertens due to a left knee injury. Wozniacki upset Samantha Stosur, the US Open champion from 2011, in straight sets before falling to Lesia Tsurenko in the second round.
Wozniacki competed in the Pan Pacific Open before to the East Asian season as the defending champion, however after earning a bye, she was defeated by Camila Giorgi in the second round in three sets. Then, in the third round at Wuhan, Wozniacki was defeated in straight sets for the second time this season by Monica Puig. Wozniacki won the second China Open championship in Beijing a week later without dropping a set. She earned Singapore's position as the fifth player because to her performance in China.
Wozniacki was drawn in the White Group for the WTA Finals as the second seed and defending champion. She lost in straight sets to the seventh-seeded Karolna Plková in her round-robin encounter before taking out Petra Kvitová in three sets. Elina Svitolina, the sixth seed, eventually beat her in three sets to halt her title defence. She soon disclosed that she had received a rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis prior to the US Open.
Playing through injuries in 2019
Wozniacki started her season at the Auckland Open for the fifth consecutive year, but Bianca Andreescu shocked her in the second round. She advanced to the third round in Melbourne but was defeated by Maria Sharapova in three sets. She withdrew from Doha and Dubai due to a viral infection, knocking her out of the top 10.
She was defeated by Ekaterina Alexandrova in three close sets in Indian Wells. She defeated Aliaksandra Sasnovich and Monica Niculescu to advance to the fourth round in Miami, where she fell to Hsieh Su-wei in three sets. She reached the Charleston Open final in April to start her clay-court season, but she fell to Madison Keys in two tense sets. For the first time since 2007, Wozniacki finished her season without taking home a championship. After the 2020 Australian Open in January, Wozniacki stated on December 6 that she would end her career as a professional tennis player.
Australian series: farewell tour in 2020–2022.
After defeating Paige Hourigan, Lauren Davis, and Julia Görges to go to the semifinals of the 2020 Auckland Open, Wozniacki fell to eventual runner-up Jessica Pegula. She and her close friend Serena Williams lost the championship match to Asia Muhammad and Taylor Townsend, playing doubles together for the first time in their professional careers.
The Australian Open served as her farewell competition. She lost to Tunisian Ons Jabeur in the third round and was eliminated. A special farewell match that was scheduled to take place in Copenhagen's enormous Royal Arena in May 2020 has been postponed until April 2022 because to COVID-19.
Playing Manner
The Guardian referred to Wozniacki as "one of the most defensive players to ever reach No. 1" after her retirement in 2020. She was a defensive baseliner famed for her counterpunching style of play. Her most valuable attributes on the court were her movement, speed, court coverage, aggressive footwork, anticipation, balance, and stamina because her game was centred around recovering balls with devastating consistency. She was described to as a pusher by critics due to the fact that her game was virtually entirely oriented on defence, and she was attacked for her reactive playing style and lack of significant weapons. When criticised for her defensive style of play, Wozniacki answered, "If I don't have a weapon, then what do the others have? Since I'm No. 1, I must be doing something right."
Wozniacki's two-handed backhand, which she utilised to convert defence into offence, was her strongest weapon. She hit her backhands flat and was renowned for her down-the-line backhand, which had a consistent depth, velocity, and penetration. Wozniacki's forehand, which was criticised for its lack of depth, power, and pace, was consistently considered her worst shot throughout her career. Because she steadfastly refused to fire her father, Piotr Woniacki, as her coach, her forehand did not significantly improve over the course of her career. She frequently used the moonball, a slow, high-looping shot, to drive opponents well beyond the baseline and give herself opportunities to attack with her powerful backhand to make up for the relative weakness of her forehand. Tumaini Carayol, a tennis journalist, observed her use of the moonball and said that she "ushered in the return" of this shot.
Wozniacki was renowned for having a first serve that could reach speeds of up to 118 mph (190 km/h), enabling her to serve aces and control play from the opening stroke of a point. According to the Guardian, "people questioned why her serve could scale 118mph and yet her forehand could not crack open an egg." This was seen as inconsistent given her weak forehand. Her second serve was noticeably poorer, and aggressive returners frequently attacked it. Wozniacki was renowned for her return game, which she used to attack weak second serves and neutralise weak first serves, allowing her to control play from a defensive position. Wozniacki rarely chose to finish points at the net during her career, usually only approaching to rescue short balls. She was very strong in her defensive abilities, mental toughness, determination, and competitive spirit. Wozniacki said she favoured both hard and grass courts; she liked hard courts for their consistent bounce, although grass courts' quick pace let her to defend well. She didn't like playing on clay courts since she found sliding awkward and the sluggish tempo restricted her movement. She won 24 of her 30 singles titles on hard courts, where she had the most success.
Coaching
Since she was 14, Wozniacki has been coached primarily by her father, Piotr. Through the Adidas Player Development Programme, Sven Groeneveld guided her throughout the years. Thomas Johansson and Ricardo Sanchez briefly served as her coaches. Thomas Högstedt was employed by her in October 2013, but they parted ways in January 2014. She hired Michael Mortensen in the same month, but they parted ways in March 2014. After that, Wozniacki made the decision to continue having her father Piotr guide her throughout the remainder of her career.
Endorsements
Wozniacki acquired an endorsement contract with Adidas in 2007; she had previously worn Nike clothing and shoes. Adidas sponsored her for clothing, footwear, and apparel throughout her career. She started endorsing the Stella McCartney for Adidas tennis clothing collection in 2009. She debuted her first "Adidas by Stella McCartney" tennis attire at the 2009 US Open and continued to sport her creations for the remainder of her professional career. Wozniacki used the Pure Aero racquet on the court and was a Babolat racquet endorser for the bulk of her career. She signed an endorsement contract with Yonex for racquets from 2011 to 2013, using the Yonex VCORE racquet. Wozniacki resumed using the Babolat Pure Aero in 2014. She agreed to a three-year contract on December 20, 2010, to promote Turkish Airlines' business class offerings. Wozniacki started endorsing Compeed BlisterPatch in 2012. Wozniacki started endorsing Godiva Chocolatier in 2015. She partnered with Lympo, a programme that encourages healthy lifestyles, in 2018. Rolex, USANA, The Players' Tribune, and Mundipharma were additional sponsors.
Wozniacki ranked ninth on the list of most marketable athletes in the world, per SportsPro's June 2011 issue. Wozniacki was the second-highest-paid female athlete in the world in 2011, according to Forbes. She was placed No. 8 on Forbes' list of the "Most Powerful Women in International Sports" in 2018.
Personal life
Outside tennis
Malou Ejdesgaard, a tennis player from Denmark who was Wozniacki's doubles partner in five competitions, is her closest friend. Additionally, Serena Williams, Agnieszka Radwanska, and Angelique Kerber are close friends with Wozniacki. Wozniacki is a devoted fan of Liverpool FC and a passionate football lover.
Relationships
From 2011 to 2014, Wozniacki was dating Northern Irish professional golfer Rory McIlroy. On January 1, 2014, she confirmed their engagement on Twitter. McIlroy ended the engagement on May 21, 2014, saying, "The problem is mine. I became aware that I wasn't prepared for everything that marriage implies when the wedding invitations were sent out over the weekend. I appreciate Caroline for the wonderful times we've shared and wish her all the happiness she merits. Later, Wozniacki disclosed that McIlroy had abruptly ended their relationship and had not kept in touch with her since.
Wozniacki announced on social media that she was dating former NBA basketball player David Lee on February 14, 2017, Valentine's Day. Her connection with Lee was later verified by her family. On November 2, 2017, the pair exchanged wedding vows. On June 16, 2019, Wozniacki wed Lee at the opulent Castiglion del Bosco resort in Tuscany, which is close to Montalcino. Angelique Kerber, Agnieszka Radwaska, and Urszula Radwaska were among the attendees, and Serena Williams served as one of her bridesmaids. Football player Jesse Palmer, basketball players Pau Gasol and Harrison Barnes, and Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian were all present for the ceremony.
Wozniacki revealed on her Instagram page on February 10, 2021, that she would give birth to her first child, a girl, in June. Olivia Wozniacki Lee, Wozniacki's daughter, was born on June 11, 2021.
Wozniacki confirmed the news of her second pregnancy on her Instagram account on June 19, 2022. They received James Wozniacki Lee, their son, on October 24, 2022.
Health
Wozniacki declared in October 2018 that she had rheumatoid arthritis and wished to serve as an inspiration for those who share her disease. Prior to the 2018 US Open, she received the auto-immune disease diagnosis, but she was still able to compete. Following her diagnosis, Wozniacki did see a decline in performance, but she recovered by winning the 2018 China Open in Beijing without dropping a set.
Rivalries
S. Williams vs. Wozniacki
Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki have faced off 11 times, with Williams holding a 10-1 head-to-head advantage. Williams is 2-0 in Grand Slam competition, 8-1 on hard courts, and 1-0 on clay and grass. At various points between November 2009 and January 2012, both were ranked No. 1.
In their first encounter, Williams prevailed in three close sets while preserving match points at the 2009 Medibank International Sydney. At the 2012 Sony Ericsson Open, Wozniacki defeated Williams only once, triumphing in straight sets. The rivalry peaked in 2014 when Williams won all four of the meetings between the two. In each of their four meetings, which all went to three sets, Williams overcame a set deficit to win. Before Williams came back to win the Rogers Cup, Wozniacki had a set and a break advantage. Williams once again overcame a set behind to win when they played a week later at the Western & Southern Open. They competed in the US Open final, which Williams won in straight sets to win her 18th Grand Slam championship. At their most recent meeting, which took place at the WTA Finals, Wozniacki took the first set before Williams fought back to take the second. Williams broke back after Wozniacki broke her to serve for the match at 4-4. Wozniacki maintained service to force a tiebreak at 6-5 after saving match point with an amazing volley. Wozniacki led Williams 4-1 in the tiebreak until Williams battled back and won.
Despite their rivalry, the two have a close friendship off the field. 2011 saw Wozniacki pay Williams a visit as she recovered from an injury. In 2014, just a few days before the French Open, it was revealed that McIlroy had called off his engagement to Wozniacki. In that moment of crisis, Wozniacki received a call from her closest friend Williams. They went on vacation to Miami after they both lost in the first round of the French Open. The night before their WTA Finals semifinal match, they went to a Mariah Carey concert. When Wozniacki ran in the 2014 New York City Marathon, Williams was there. Additionally, they took a quick tour of New York City. In 2017, Wozniacki was present at Williams' nuptials. Williams attended Wozniacki's 2019 wedding as a bridesmaid. While her daughter Olympia watched her match against Stosur in 2018, Williams posted an Instagram story with the caption "Auntie Caro" during the US Open.
Radwaska vs. Wozniacki
Wozniacki has an 11-6 head-to-head advantage over Agnieszka Radwanska after 17 meetings. On hard courts, Wozniacki is ahead 9-6; on clay, she is up 2-0.
Radwaska won their first encounter in straight sets at the 2007 Nordea Nordic Light Open. Wozniacki won the following five matches after that triumph, however her winning streak was broken when she lost in three sets at the 2012 Apia International Sydney. The following two games were won by Radwaska, but she lost in straight sets at the 2014 Western & Southern Open, ending her winning streak. Wozniacki won four more matches in a row after this one until losing in straight sets at the 2016 Wuhan Open. She had another straight-sets defeat at the 2016 China Open a week later. The 2017 Qatar Total Open and 2017 Rogers Cup were the locations of their ensuing two encounters. Both matches were won by Wozniacki in straight sets.
Sharapova versus Wozniacki
Maria Sharapova has a 7-4 advantage in their 11 meetings, which have taken place. With two victories at the US Open and one defeat at the Australian Open, Wozniacki has a 2-1 Grand Slam advantage. On hard courts, they are knotted at 4-4, but Sharapova is up 3-0 on clay.
Sharapova defeated her opponent in straight sets in their first encounter in the 2008 Qatar Total Open. They later faced off again at the 2008 Rome Masters. The following two matches were won by Wozniacki, tying the head-to-head. The following three matches were won by Sharapova, including their lone encounter in the 2013 BNP Paribas Open final. At the 2014 US Open, Wozniacki ended the losing streak by defeating Sharapova in three sets. She later advanced to the championship match. At their subsequent meeting at the 2014 WTA Finals, which lasted more than three hours, Wozniacki prevailed in three sets. Sharapova prevailed in three sets in their most recent encounter, which took place at the 2019 Australian Open.
Halep versus Wozniacki
The head-to-head record between Wozniacki and Simona Halep is 5-2 in Wozniacki's favour after seven meetings. On hard courts, Wozniacki is up 3-2; on clay and grass courts, 1-0; and in Grand Slam tournaments, 1-0.
When they first faced off, Wozniacki won in straight sets in the 2012 Dubai Tennis Championships. The following two matches were won by Halep, one in three sets at the 2015 Dubai Tennis Championships and one in straight sets in the 2013 New Haven Open at Yale. Then Wozniacki began a four-match winning streak against Halep, starting at the 2015 Stuttgart Open and extending to their most recent matchup at the 2018 Australian Open final, when Wozniacki triumphed against Halep in three sets to win her first Grand Slam championship and take over the No. 1 ranking from Halep.
Wozniak versus Plkova
In their ten lifetime meetings, Wozniacki has a 6-4 advantage against Pliskova; on hard courts, Wozniacki leads 6-3; and on grass, Pliskova leads 1-0. At a Grand Slam, they never met.
At the start of their meetings, Wozniacki and Karolna Plková's rivalry didn't seem to be developing very quickly. The first three encounters took place in 2013 and 2014, and all three Wozniacki victories occurred in three sets. They faced off six times in 2017, when their head-to-head record was 3-3 and the winner of each match was alternated. This was the year that their rivalry truly heated up. The first encounter took place in the 2017 Qatar Total Open final, with Pliskova winning in straight sets. Wozniacki won in three sets in the 2017 Miami Open semifinals a month later. Later, Pliskova defeated Wozniacki in straight sets to win the 2017 Aegon International Eastbourne championship on grass. In the quarterfinals of the 2017 Rogers Cup, where they met for the fourth time, Wozniacki rallied from deficits of 1-5 in the first set and a break down in the third set to win what was perhaps the match of the year. One week later, they faced off in the quarterfinals of the 2017 Western & Southern Open, where Pliskova defeated a worn-out Wozniacki who had competed in the Toronto final the week before. Wozniacki defeated Pliskova in straight sets in the semifinals of the 2017 WTA Finals after taking the first set in a lengthy fashion. She went on to win the match and the championship. Wozniacki was defeated in straight sets in their most recent encounter, which took place during the round robin of the 2018 WTA Finals.
Career statistics
Grand Slam tournament finals
Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
Loss | 2009 | US Open | Hard | 5–7, 3–6 | |
Loss | 2014 | US Open | Hard | 3–6, 3–6 | |
Win | 2018 | Australian Open | Hard | 7–6(7–2), 3–6, 6–4 |
WTA Championships finals
Result | Year | Location | Surface | Opponent | Score |
Loss | 2010 | Qatar | Hard | 3–6, 7–5, 3–6 | |
Win | 2017 | Singapore | Hard (i) | 6–4, 6–4 |
Grand Slam performance timelines
Singles
Tournament | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | SR | W–L | Win% |
Australian Open | A | A | 4R | 3R | 4R | SF | QF | 4R | 3R | 2R | 1R | 3R | W | 3R | 3R | 1 / 13 | 36–12 | 75% |
French Open | A | 1R | 3R | 3R | QF | 3R | 3R | 2R | 1R | 2R | A | QF | 4R | 1R | A | 0 / 12 | 21–12 | 63.64% |
Wimbledon | Q1 | 2R | 3R | 4R | 4R | 4R | 1R | 2R | 4R | 4R | 1R | 4R | 2R | 3R | NH | 0 / 13 | 25–13 | 65.79% |
US Open | A | 2R | 4R | F | SF | SF | 1R | 3R | F | 2R | SF | 2R | 2R | 3R | A | 0 / 13 | 38–13 | 74.51% |
Win–loss | 0–0 | 2–3 | 10–4 | 13–4 | 15–4 | 15–4 | 6–4 | 7–4 | 11–4 | 6–4 | 5–3 | 10–4 | 12–3 | 6–4 | 2–1 | 1 / 51 | 120–50 | 70.59% |
Doubles
Tournament | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | SR | W–L | Win% |
Australian Open | A | 2R | 1R | 1R | 0 / 3 | 1–3 | 25% |
French Open | A | 1R | 1R | 2R | 0 / 3 | 1–3 | 25% |
Wimbledon | A | 1R | 2R | 2R | 0 / 3 | 2–3 | 40% |
US Open | 1R | 2R | 3R | 2R | 0 / 4 | 4–4 | 50% |
Win–loss | 0–1 | 2–4 | 3–4 | 3–4 | 0 / 13 | 8–13 | 38.1% |
Achievements
Time span | Selected records | Players matched |
29 January 2012 – 29 January 2018 | The longest time for a female player to return to world No. 1 | Stands alone |
2008–2011 | 4 Connecticut Open titles | Steffi Graf |
Personal Info
Date of Birth | 1990, July 11 |
Age | 32 Years Old |
Horoscope | cancer |
Country | Denmark DK |
Height | 5 Feet 10 Inch |
Weight in KG | 58 kg |
Other Details
Father | Piotr Wozniacki |
Mother | Anna Wozniacki |
Birth Name | Caroline Wozniacki |
Net Worth | $20 Million |
Birth Country | Odense |
No. of Siblings | Patrik Wozniacki (Footballer) |
Famous Name | Caroline Wozniacki |
Nationality | Danish |
Ethnicity | White |
Boyfriend | David Lee |
Religion | Christianity |
Profession | Tennis Player |
Started career | Asa Tennis Player |
Facts
Her parents are Polish immigrants who relocated to Denmark after her father Piotr signed a contract with the Danish football team Boldklubben 1909.
The UK-based media company SportsPro ranked Wozniacki as the ninth most marketable athlete in the world in June 2011.
Throughout her career, Wozniacki faced fierce competition from Russian Maria Sharapova, Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, and tennis legend Serena Williams of the United States.
On November 2, 2014, Caroline participated in her first-ever official marathon. In 3 hours, 26 minutes, and 33 seconds, she finished the New York City Marathon.
She was depicted in the 2015 Sports Illustrated Swimmers Issue.
Tennis player Malou Ejdesgaard from Denmark and Caroline are good friends. They competed in doubles events together in a variety of tournaments. She and Serena Williams got along great.
