Caroline Wozniacki on the Difficulty of Finding Success in Professional Tennis

Through hard work and determination, the Danish athlete has done just that.

Caroline Wozniacki / Elsa/Getty Images

Caroline Wozniacki has been playing tennis since the age of 7. She couldn’t have known then what the future would hold, but she took to the court determined and built herself an impressive junior career. About eight years after picking up a racket for the first time—at 15 years old—the Denmark native made her debut on the WTA tour.

Just under two decades later, the athlete is still competing. A lot has changed in that time: Wozniacki reached No. 1 in the tour rankings, won one Grand Slam (the 2018 Australian Open), and made it to the quarterfinals and finals of a handful of others. She represented her country in four different Olympic games, and also got married, retired, had two children, and then returned to professional tennis.

Through it all, she has made a name for herself as an impressive force on the tennis court. Like most top players, she has made it look easy—but, if you ask her, she would tell you a different story.

For starters, the early career experience was far from simple, she said in a recent interview with Danish brand State Drinks. “I think you grow up quickly [on tour],” she explained. “You have to.” There’s a steep learning curve that comes with traveling for tennis, and not simply where the logistics (the travel, hotel stays, etc.) are concerned. If “you want to achieve a goal, you have to figure out how do I get there,” Wozniacki said.

Caroline Wozniacki / Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

And finding success is not a given, either. “I think tennis is one of the toughest sports in the world to become one of the best in,” the athlete remarked. “I have a husband who played professional basketball for 12 years, and he was surprised by how hard a tennis player has to train and how intense it is ... and you can’t hide behind anyone.”

Knowing that, it comes as no surprise that Wozniacki took a step back from the game in 2020. She had been playing professionally for a decade-and-a-half and, at the time, felt ready to hang up her racket. But knowing just how hard she worked prior to and after turning professional, it likewise comes as no surprise that she decided to make a comeback.

She returned to the professional circuit in the summer of 2023, after three years away and giving birth to two children. Ultimately, it came down to unfinished business. “ ... I still have goals I want to accomplish,” she wrote on Instagram at the time. “I want to show my kids that you can pursue your dreams no matter your age or role.”

Despite the difficulty of the game and the time she spent away, Wozniacki is working her way back into the top. After all, she has goals to accomplish.