{"id":287822,"date":"2023-08-25T20:49:56","date_gmt":"2023-08-25T20:49:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportslifetale.com\/?p=287822"},"modified":"2023-08-25T20:49:56","modified_gmt":"2023-08-25T20:49:56","slug":"caroline-wozniacki-lifts-lid-on-serena-williams-chat-ahead-of-us-open-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportslifetale.com\/tennis\/caroline-wozniacki-lifts-lid-on-serena-williams-chat-ahead-of-us-open-return\/","title":{"rendered":"Caroline Wozniacki lifts lid on Serena Williams chat ahead of US Open return"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Caroline Wozniacki\u00a0has revealed she has taken inspiration and advice from Serena Williams before making her US Open comeback as a mum.<\/p>\n
And the Great Dane revealed her two-year-old daughter now wants to follow her into the sport. The former world No.1 retired in January 2020 after suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and has since given birth to two children.<\/p>\n
Wozniacki, now 33, announced her return earlier this summer and has played in Montreal and Cincinnati before preparing to play in New York for the first time since 2019.<\/p>\n
Her close friend Williams made her farewell here last year after becoming a mother in 2017.\u00a0And Wozniacki said: \u201cI obviously had this conversation with Serena quite a while back. She’s supporting me whatever I do. She thought that it was really cool that I’m coming back.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut everyone is just so different. Elia Svitolina, how she does it. How Serena did it. How I’m doing it. We’re all different people. I think it’s so cool that you choose your own path.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost of all I’m just proud that we are quite a few mums on tour that have paved the way I think for the future generation that it’s possible to take a break, have a family, then come back. The women have shown that you can still play at a very, very high level.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 2018 Australian Open champion, who is married to former NBA star David Lee, also has her two-year-old daughter Olivia and eight-month-old son James with her in New York.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were there basically in the hotel room until lunch because she wouldn’t stop playing tennis,\u201d she smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis morning before I went on site as well, she said: \u2018Mummy, mummy, can I go with you to work? I want to be like you. I want to play tennis\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose are cute things. I said: \u2018We can play tennis in the afternoon. I already know what my plans are this afternoon: getting my reps in!\u2019<\/p>\n
Wozniacki said she did not touch a tennis racquet for \u201ca very long time\u201d but revealed: \u201cI started just missing the cardio aspect.<\/p>\n
I’ll always love the game, no matter if I’m 33 or if I’m going to be 80. I’ll always appreciate the game and everything that it’s given me.<\/p>\n
It just happened to be that I felt like I was hitting the ball extremely well, that I am still young enough to give it another shot. You only live once, so why not?\u201d<\/p>\n
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Asked how long her return will last, the wildcard said: \u201cI can’t predict the future. I don’t know what’s going to happen in a year. But to be here now, “another time” I guess is a better word, it’s great.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don’t know how long I’m going to play for. I don’t know if it’s going to be a year, two years, three years. I can’t predict the future.<\/p>\n
I also realise that I’m not that young anymore. I’m 33. Obviously you have Venus (43) still playing. She’s older than me. You have older players. At the same time I think what I’ve learned most is that you can’t predict the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’m just enjoying being here in the moment. I hope for a great tournament. I’m definitely planning on playing a lot more next year, playing more of a full schedule.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wozniacki was a commentator for US network ESPN at Wimbledon.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think being from the outside, seeing it for a little while, really getting all the stats on everyone, I think it’s just again a different perspective, which I think I can use to my advantage,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Asked about her rheumatoid arthritis, she said: \u201cI still have my RA. It’s still something that I have to live with for the rest of my life. Obviously when I wasn’t playing, it was much easier to manage.\u201d<\/p>\n