Caroline Wozniacki to Retire after AO 2020

THUNDERVOLLEY

THUNDERVOLLEY

G.O.A.T.
hoodjem said:
Thinking of anyone in particular?
Click to expand...

A lot of tennis players have aged while playing that they reach this point. Jankovic continued to show up and lose, and I believe she's not officially retired. Unless all top players take a group trip on the Titanic II--and vanish in the Bermuda Triangle, Jankovic is never going to win a major, so what is she sticking around for? She's never come off as a "I really love this sport" type, so...
 
jarko111

jarko111

Hall of Fame
That tournament announcement really blows my theory she was pulling a Serena and playing while with child. It’s just a weird retirement spot. Why even play Australia? All that training. I just thought, she’s obviously pregnant.
But that’s impossible to play in May if so.
Which is a shame because I am a fan and I follow her IG and know she wants to start a family so badly.

Regarding Jankovic, I don’t think she had a farewell event because her level was so bad. She lost her speed and as a player that didn’t have a way to hit her way through a match she relied on it for wins. She’s not Venus. Venus is getting older but can still hit a hard ball. Jankovic can’t hit winners.
Similar players tho. At their best they were backboards getting to every ball
 
jarko111

jarko111

Hall of Fame
I've never liked her dad. When she had that full-body cramp he should have had her out of there.
On-court coaching showed him as a horrible parent.. Barking at her in anger when she was winning.

And how weird it was when ESPN was reporting last year that he was begging her to retire and offered her to get a new coach. yea right.
 
spystud

spystud

Talk Tennis Guru
Down 1-5 in the first? Not a problem.

Down a double break @ 0-3 in the second? Not a problem.


Ain’t dead yet.
 
Elektra

Elektra

Professional
I am glad she is retiring on her own terms, I have a feeling though she might do cameos at the grandslams. Caroline is probably thinking about having children and from I heard will be doing other projects with her sponsors.
 
WYK

WYK

Hall of Fame
THUNDERVOLLEY said:
A lot of tennis players have aged while playing that they reach this point. Jankovic continued to show up and lose, and I believe she's not officially retired. Unless all top players take a group trip on the Titanic II--and vanish in the Bermuda Triangle, Jankovic is never going to win a major, so what is she sticking around for? She's never come off as a "I really love this sport" type, so...
Click to expand...

I never understood this attitude. If you enjoy the game and someone actually pays you to do it, why not play. Go to doubles if you have to, whatever. Enjoy your life as much as you can. I was very pelased to been given the chance to see Hingis play again in doubles.
 
spystud

spystud

Talk Tennis Guru
Good article.

It seems Caroline Wozniacki is not quite ready for this to end.

The Danish star, who announced last month that she is to retire after the Australian Open, looked like she was on her way out when she trailed Dayana Yastremska, the No. 23 seed from Ukraine, 5-1 in the first set of their second-round encounter on Wednesday.

But as she has done throughout a glittering career, the former world No. 1 and the champion here in 2018 battled back, broke down her opponent and finally claimed a 7-5, 7-5 victory to extend her stay to the third round, at least.

"I was really nervous going into my first round, then today I felt pretty calm and pretty quickly it was 5-1," Wozniacki said, tears in her eyes. "I was hoping I could be out there for another 30 minutes to take it all in.

"Winning such a tough match, it's a little emotional for me."

In some ways, the match epitomized Wozniacki's career, the never-say-die attitude that took her to 30 titles and made her the year-end world No. 1 in two consecutive years.

Outplayed in the first six games as Yastremska crunched winners, Wozniacki began to change the pace and upset the Ukrainian player's rhythm. She was rewarded with mistakes at last, and she took advantage to win six straight games.

The second set followed a similar pattern as Wozniacki trailed 3-0 before fighting back, and though she needed six match points to get it done, the pump of the fist and roar of delight showed that the fight she has been famous for is still in there.

"She was hitting the ball so hard, I didn't know what to do," Wozniacki said. "But I got a bit better depth, she started to make a few mistakes and I changed the pace."

Wozniacki has enjoyed a hugely successful career, but her achievements go beyond the results. Respected and admired by her peers and loved by fans all over the globe, she maximized her potential and will be missed.

"She has a great legacy, Grand Slam champion, No. 1 in the world, one of the best players on tour -- definitely not easy to do," said Serena Williams, a close friend of Wozniacki's and one of many rivals to pay tribute this week to her achievements. "Also, [she is] a person that's really great off the court. So it's going to be a great loss for women's tennis, especially for me."

There was a time when a Wozniacki news conference without a question about her lack of Grand Slam success was the exception rather than the norm. Her Australian Open victory over Simona Halep in 2018, one of the best finals in recent memory, swept away any last doubts. But as she considered her career this week, Wozniacki said that winning a Grand Slam title was really the icing on the cake.

"It was definitely very, very special because I got to No. 1 very early in my career, and [though] I think I appreciated it and it was a dream come true, I didn't appreciate it as much as the second time round [when she returned in 2018]," Wozniacki told ESPN.com in an interview.

"Do I think in other circumstances I could have won more? Probably, but at the end of the day, I think being No. 1 for such a long period of time [71 weeks] is probably much harder than winning one tournament, where you have a great couple of weeks. But having the combination of the two is something very few people have done, so that's obviously something I'm very proud of."

What she's equally proud of is the way she went about things. It's hard to think of a match in which Wozniacki didn't give her all. She always was in shape, trained hard, worked hard and never arrived at a tournament underdone. Few people can say that.

"What I'm most proud of is the fact that I never slacked," she said. "I would go into every single practice, I'd take it very seriously, I would work super hard. I would go into every tournament, try and do my best and try to win.

"I think I can be very proud of the fact that I'm looking back at my career and is there some things -- I'd wish I'd had a gold medal at the Olympics, 100 percent -- but ... I literally gave everything I had, and I'm very proud of that."

It has been 18 months since Wozniacki was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease that causes joint pain throughout the body. It was a diagnosis that shocked her, but she is determined to show that it's still possible to have a normal, active life.

"I want to be a role model. That's something I'm very passionate about -- also showing the way to other people who are struggling with RA, that you can do anything you put your mind to," she said.

"For me to be able to have a full schedule, for me to be out there, every single day, working hard, working hours and hours on and off the court, that that's possible with RA. That's something that mentally I've had to, some days, push myself through.

"But at the same time, when I hear people and their stories, having issues getting out of bed, seeing me do what I do is motivating them and making them feel better. Having that community has been very special to me, and it's something I want to continue doing. I hope I can inspire and help a lot of people."

Wozniacki has found the week more emotional than she expected, partly because of the sheer number of people wishing her well, congratulating her on her career and telling her they'll miss her.

"I think the special moments are where players who you don't really think you've had that much of an impact on, come up and they [say], we really want to appreciate how nice you've been to us from the start," she said. "So that's been great to see as well. It makes me feel good that I've had a positive impact."

Wozniacki still wants to give everything, one final time.

"I know it's the last one, but at the same time, I'm trying to compartmentalize," she said. "This is why I am here. I want to try to win the tournament. I want to try. I think that's the best way to handle stuff."

When she came on the scene in 2005, "Danish tennis" was almost an oxymoron. Wozniacki leaves it in good health, with the junior world No. 1 male and last year's junior world No. 1 female hailing from Denmark and with proof that you can make it if you try your best.

"I hope I've proven and shown for the younger generation that it's possible to be from Denmark and be a great tennis player," Wozniacki said.

"I would like to be remembered as a really hard-working tennis player who gave it my all, left my heart out there and hopefully a good person to be around, too. I think and I hope that people will have fond memories of me."

At 29, she leaves the sport young. Wozniacki said she and her husband, former NBA player David Lee, are looking forward to some time away from the spotlight. She also said she has "always wanted to be a mom."

Don't hold your breath if you think she might be back on the court in the future.

"Well, I don't want to be here in 10 years' time, making a comeback, and then I'd hear all about it [saying she would never be back]," she said. "But I don't think so."
Click to expand...
 
Belgrad13

Belgrad13

Rookie
She is overrated as a person, but underestimated as a tennis player.
What always annoyed many was that she played under the false flag like Kerber. She is Polish and plays for Denmark ...
 
Mainad

Mainad

Bionic Poster
Belgrad13 said:
She is overrated as a person, but underestimated as a tennis player.
What always annoyed many was that she played under the false flag like Kerber. She is Polish and plays for Denmark ...
Click to expand...

She was born and raised in Denmark and is a Danish citizen so hardly surprising (she looks very Danish too).
 
clout

clout

Hall of Fame
And that's all it wrote. What a wonderful career she had:

- 2018 Australian Open Champ
- 2 YE Number Ones
- 30 Career Titles
- 2017 WTF Champion
- 6 Masters Titles
- 635 Pro Match Wins
- 79 Weeks at Number One
- 2 GS Runner-Ups
- $34 million in prize money

She achieved all the goals she set out to accomplish, which is what every human hopes to say when they complete their careers. I wish her all the best in the next chapter of her life, cheers!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

THUNDERVOLLEY
Caroline Wozniacki rejects apology from Maria Sharapova's agent
4 5 6
Replies
275
Views
13K
ibbi
ibbi
jimwh
Caroline Wozniacki
Replies
28
Views
5K
single_handed_champion
S
marc45
Wozniacki Fires Coach
Replies
21
Views
2K
ttbrowne
ttbrowne
puppybutts
Hardwork, or dope? And tennis vs other sports
Replies
32
Views
2K
Bambooman
B
MotherMarjorie
Wozniacki Plans To Apply To Yale University
2
Replies
76
Views
6K
aphex
aphex
Top