Caroline Wozniacki before Australian Open: "It will be emotional"
The Australian Open will be the last tournament of a very big athlete: Caroline Wozniacki will go into tennis retirement after the Grand Slam in Down Under. In the press conference before the tournament, the 29-year-old tells how she has prepared for the last tournament of her career and promises that the farewell will be emotional.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Jan 19, 2020, 10:04 am
Caroline Wozniacki's tennis career is slowly but surely coming to an end. In December of the previous year, the Danish girl announced that she would end her active career after the Australian Open and devote herself to other projects. With Melbourne, the former number one in the world has chosen the place where it could celebrate the greatest triumph of its career. In 2018, Wozniacki managed to win her only major-level title in Down Under.
The Danes celebrated their farewell on the WTA tour last week when they ended up in Auckland in the semi-finals against Jessica Pegula. In doubles, she fulfilled a long-cherished wish and played with Serena Williams in the final.
The 29-year-old press conference was consequently followed with great interest, in which she revealed what the preparation for her very last tournament had looked like: "Up to now, I have actually dealt with it like any other tournament - but of course it is a bit different, since it will be my last. ”She enjoyed being on the pitch, had some good training sessions and did everything to be as well prepared as possible for the tournament. "Now I hope for the best," explains the Danish.
Of course, she had to struggle with the decision for a while in December. In the end, it feels right. “I achieved a lot, gave everything for sport. But at some point it didn't feel like it used to. I wanted to do something different, achieve other things in life. Life is short, you have to do the things that feel right for you. ”
When the last ball change of her career is over, Wozniacki is sure that it will be emotional. Looking back, the 29-year-old can hardly reproach herself. "I can look back and say that I am very proud of what I have achieved, that I am proud of the ups and downs and that I can be very proud that I have given the sport a lot."
Caroline Wozniacki will start her farewell tournament on Monday when she will meet number 92 in the world, Kristie Ahn. With her, one of the really big players of the last decade is going into tennis retirement - before that, however, she still has some plans for her greatest triumph.
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