The Danish tennis player Caroline Wozniacki said returning to tennis at the elite level after more than three years was like riding a bike after a break. The former world No 1 cruised to an easy victory at the start of the WTA 1000 Canadian Open in Montreal, beating Australian qualifier Kimberly Birrell by 2-0 (6:2, 6:2), but her way ahead is quite more difficult.
“It’s basically like riding a bike – you never forget it, but at the same time it’s different”, said Caroline Wozniacki. “When I win the important points I get really excited, and when I don’t hit so well I’m like: Ah, I have to start from scratch in the game’, added she.
Caroline Wozniacki, who has two children Olivia and James with her husband, former NBA player David Lee, said she was happy to play in front of her family. The Danish tennis player commented with a laugh that she is returning to her parental duties after her first victory as a mother.
“It’s crazy. I was just looking at the clock and I knew my kids were napping now. The good thing is I played an early game because I still have the whole afternoon with them”, said Caroline Wozniacki. “I’m just excited to come back and compete. It’s special to have my family here. Coming back as a 33-year-old, with many years of experience in women’s tennis. Now I’m doing it with my kids, who already understand, travel around the world in different countries and that’s incredible”, commented the former leader in the world rankings.
Caroline Wozniacki will have a tougher matchup against Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in the second round.
“Marketa is on fire. She played incredibly well at Wimbledon. She got out of some tough situations on the way to the title but really kept her nerve in the final. Tough opponent, left-handed. It’s never easy to play left-handed because the ball it’s going the other way. But you know what, I have nothing to lose. I’m going to go out on the court and have fun, and we’ll see what happens”, said Caroline Wozniacki.
Caroline Wozniacki was ranked world No 1 in singles for a total of 71 weeks, including at the end of 2010 and 2011. She achieved the top ranking for the first time on October 11, 2010, becoming the 20th player in the Open Era and the first from a Scandinavian country to hold the top position. She won 30 WTA Tour singles titles (including six in both 2010 and 2011, the most in a year by a WTA player from 2008–2011) and two doubles titles.
