Caroline Wozniacki eager for more success as she restarts career

Former World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki will be back on the court for the first time in 3 1/2 years when she faces Australia's Kimberly Birrell on Tuesday at the National Bank Open in Montreal.

The first-round match will be Wozniacki's first since she retired after the 2020 Australian Open. She received a wild-card entry to the tournament.

Wozniacki also accepted wild-card spots for the upcoming Western & Southern Open and U.S. Open. Wozniacki has twice reached the U.S. Open final (2009, 2014) before losing.

Now 33, Wozniacki says she is up for the challenge.

"Tennis-wise, I feel like I'm doing great in practice and it's going to be just fine when I'm out there," Wozniacki told reporters at the event's media day. "So I'm not stressing. I'm not worried. It's just about getting more and more matches in and the more I play, the better I'm going to play. I hope that I'm going to be at my peak for the U.S. Open.

"Realistically when you haven't been on tour and haven't played a match in so long, no matter how much you practice, how many practice sets you've done, you can never replicate being on a match court."

Wozniacki has won 30 career singles title, including the 2018 Australian Open, and more than $35 million in prize money in 14-plus years on tour.

The Denmark native gave birth to one boy and one girl during her hiatus. She is married to former NBA All-Star David Lee.

Wozniacki said her recent practice sessions have gone well. She believes her fitness is up to par and she still has tennis instincts. The rheumatoid arthritis that affected the latter part of her tennis career and ravaged her personal life isn't currently a problem.

What will soon be determined is if the rust of being away prevents her from being able to compete with younger stars like Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina.

"I'm here. I've got nothing to lose," Wozniacki said. "I have already done so much in my career and basically ticked off most of the goals that I had set. But I'm here because I love to compete. I love the sport, and I feel like I still have a lot to give to the sport. And doing it with the family just makes it so much more enjoyable."