MASON, Ohio — Former Grand Slam champion Caroline Wozniacki has come out of retirement and will be back at the Western & Southern Open this August.
Wozniacki has been granted a wild card spot at the 2023 tournament in Mason. The 2023 W&S Open kicks off Aug. 12-20 at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.
The tournament will mark her second singles event this summer after playing in Montreal. She will also compete in the Wimbledon Legends event this week, as well.
Wozniacki, who was a former No. 1 player in the world, retired in 2020 and has since had two children with her husband David Lee, a former NBA player. Since her retirement, she's been an analyst for ESPN and the Tennis Channel.
She announced in a Vogue interview last week that she'd be making a return to competitive tennis.
The former champ's return to tennis also comes 18 years after she first made her WTA debut at the 2005 Western & Southern.
“I first came to Cincinnati when I was 15 years old in 2005. I am so happy to be back where I played my first WTA tournament,” Wozniacki said. “A big thank you to the tournament for this opportunity.”
The Denmark native turns 33 next week, and in her past 11 appearances at the W&S Open she reached a semifinal and three quarterfinals at the tournament. Those have tied her with current players Petra Kvitova and Sloane Stephens for most appearances in the women’s field.
Otherwise, Wozniacki won the 2018 Australian Open, owns 30 career singles titles, and she reached two US Open finals — in 2009 she lost to Kim Clijsters and in 2014 she fell to Serena Williams.
"Caroline coming back to tennis is an exciting story for all of us. The Western & Southern Open is proud to be part of this early stage of her return to the sport,” said Tournament Director Todd Martin. “Caroline has demonstrated remarkable grace and perseverance over the years, and we are confident that this next stanza of her career will be conducted similarly."
Player fields for both the men's and women's singles draws will be picked July 17 ahead of the August tournament, which has recently been swept up in the possibility of moving from Mason to Charlotte, North Carolina.
Multi-day ticket packages are already sold out for the tournament, but single-day tickets are on sale now. For those interested in buying tickets for the tournament, click here.
