Former WTA No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki has confirmed she is shutting down her 2023 campaign and is targeting to return to competition at next year's Australian Open.
Wozniacki, 33, lost to American teenager Coco Gauff in the fourth round in what was a commendable run after coming out of retirement at the start of August. Speaking after the match, Wozniacki told Danish media that she will play no further part in 2023 after her US Open exit and will return to action at the Australian Open in 2024.
Wozniacki has played just three tournaments since her comeback last month, entering the two WTA 1000 doubleheaders in Montreal and Cincinnati, and the US Oepn as a wild card. Despite her initial struggles in the first few matches, the Dane exceeded all pre-tournament expectations to reach the second week in New York, notching a Top-20 win over Petra Kvitova in the past week.
If she intends to stick to her decision and not play for the remainder of the season, Wozniacki will most likely need another wild card to compete in Melbourne. She won her first and thus far only Grand Slam title at the Australian Open back in 2018 - an achievement that catapulted her return to the World No. 1 ranking at the time.
During her English press conference, Wozniacki was pleased with her level each time she stepped on the court, stating that she played better in every match. At this stage of her life, even with limited match practice, she is counting on her experience.
"I think I'm exactly where I want to be. There's still a few things that I want to work on and I can do better. But in general I think it's very positive. I think every event that I played, I played a little better. Every match I played here, I played a little bit better each time. A lot of positives I can bring with me."
"Obviously I think my experience makes me believe that even if I'm not playing week in, week out, that I can still go out there and play my best tennis when I'm out there on court."