Australian Open 2024: Former champion Caroline Wozniacki awarded wild card

Caroline Wozniacki, the former world number one, has been handed one of the first wild cards for the 2024 Australian Open. Wozniacki stated that she plans to bring her two young children to the site of her greatest Grand Slam success.

Wozniacki, the 2018 Australian Open women's winner, and six other Australians received the first round of wild cards. Wozniacki, 33, returned to top-tier tennis in August after more than three years away. She competed in Montreal and Cincinnati before reaching the fourth round of the US Open, where she was defeated by eventual champion Coco Gauff.

"I have so many wonderful memories of Melbourne, and of course winning the Australian Open is an all-time career highlight," Wozniacki, ranked No. 242 this week, told Australian Open organizers on Wednesday. Wozniacki won her sole Grand Slam singles championship in Australia a few years before retiring from tennis in early



2020 to raise a family. She worked as a TV analyst before becoming a mother to two children with former NBA player David Lee.

Wozniacki stated that she intends to attend the tournament at Melbourne Park with her daughter Olivia and son James. "I can't wait to show it to my family and my children," she said. In October, tournament director Craig Tiley revealed that three past Australian Open champions - Naomi Osaka, Caroline Wozniacki, and Angelique Kerber - will return to the year's first major after maternity leave.

The Australian Open begins on January 14 at Melbourne Park. To limit the amount of late-night endings, the tournament has been extended to 15 days for the first time.

The Brisbane International, which takes place from December 31 to January 7, will feature nine Grand Slam champions, including Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, Naomi Osaka, Aryna Sabalenka, and Elena Rybakina.