Caroline Wozniacki, 29, to retire after 2020 Australian Open, closing her 'first chapter'
Caroline Wozniacki, a former No. 1-ranked tennis player, announced she will retire from the sport after the 2020 Australian Open. The 29-year-old is currently ranked No. 37 in the world and has 30 career singles titles since turning pro in 2005.
Wozniacki first shared the news during an appearance Friday on “Good Morning America,” telling the hosts she was “ready to move on to the next chapter of my life.” She then shared a statement on social media.
Wozniacki won the 2018 Australian Open, her lone Grand Slam title, with a victory over top seed Simona Halep. The Denmark native was runner-up at the 2009 U.S. Open and the 2010 WTA Tour Championships, earning the No. 1 ranking for 71 weeks between 2010 and ’11. Her most recent match was a semifinal loss to Naomi Osaka at the China Open.
She said the retirement has nothing to do with her health and more to do with what else she wants to accomplish in life, as well as leaving the sport on a high note.
"It’s obviously a decision I’ve thought about for a long time. I just got married this year so that’s exciting and ... there are so many other things I’d like to do off the court," Wozniacki said on “Good Morning America.” "I’ve always thought when there are other things I’d want to do more it’s just time to be done."
"It just felt right in my heart," she added. "It’s never going to be an easy decision when you’ve done this your whole life, but it just feels right. I’m ready for it."
Wozniacki struggled in 2019, not winning a singles title for the first time in her career as she battled injuries and dropping from the top five. The year prior, 10 months after winning her first slam title, she announced a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis.
“I don’t think it is hindering me,” she told People. “It makes some things more challenging, but I feel great in the day-to-day. I feel like I can do anything, and I’ve won some of my biggest titles of my career with this illness.”
In June, Wozniacki married former New York Knicks player David Lee, and the couple recently moved to a condo on Fisher Island in Miami. One of the 18 tennis courts at the Palazzo Del Sol facility in Fisher Island is named after the tennis star.
In her social media announcement, Wozniacki said she wants to start a family while traveling and promoting awareness about rheumatoid arthritis. She also began classes at Harvard Business School this past September.
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