Caroline Wozniacki’s US Open comeback hints at a trend among tennis veterans

After breaking through to the summit of the game as a teenager, amassing 71 weeks at World No.1, and winning a
Grand Slam title, Wozniacki called time on her career at the age of 29. In her three-and-a-half years away from tennis, she had two children.

But the Danish 33-year-old’s comeback speaks of a greater trend among players that saw their peak from the mid-2000s to the mid-2010s. Wozniacki is not the only veteran to return to Grand Slam tennis with the aspiration of getting back to the top. Of Kim Clijsters’s two comebacks, the first in 2009, returning from a two-year injury-induced absence to win three of her four Majors, is better remembered. But the Belgian attempted another in her late-thirties in 2020, without winning a single competitive match in her return period.

Another fine example is that of Venus Williams, still trudging along on tour at the age of 43. Venus – who was battered by Greet Minnen 1-6, 1-6 in the first round of the US Open on Monday – has not found much consistency over the last few years but has shown flashes of brilliance, including a straight-sets demolition of the World No.16 Veronika Kudermetova in Cincinnati this month.

It is not just women’s tennis that is appealing to veterans. The 2016 US Open champion Stan Wawrinka, at 38, became the oldest man to win a singles match at Flushing Meadows since Jimmy Connors in 1992 after winning his first-round on Tuesday. Andy Murray – metal hip and all – continues to grind on the tour at 36, failing to put together consistent runs, but playing some enthralling ties in the first weeks of recent Majors.

It can’t just be the deep personal drive and ambition that has led these stars of a previous generation back to tennis. The trend also speaks to a perceived lack of competition. The idea that, outside a select few at the very top, current singles players are woefully inconsistent, hinting at a final opportunity for glory.

This perception is not unfounded. At this year’s US Open itself, before the second round of matches are even completed, three of the top 10 men’s players, and seven of the top 20, are already out. On the women’s side, two top 10, and seven top 20 players have been eliminated.

Wozniacki would warm to the fact that she has examples before her, and a draw that could hand her opportunity. She would also have an eye on the tennis story of the summer – the pace with which Elina Svitolina returned to tennis after childbirth. Representing the war-torn nation of Ukraine, within just a few months of her return, she reached the quarterfinals of the French Open and semifinals of Wimbledon earlier this year.

While Svitolina made changes to her game – improved forehand, heightened aggression – to return to the top, Wozniacki feels no such need. Like the Ukranian, Wozniacki, alongside the likes of Angelique Kerber and Simona Halep, belongs to the type of defence-first counterpunching players that were able to shortly reign in the attack of Serena Williams in the 2010s.

The current generation of clean-hitters like Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff, and all-out-attackers like Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina, may have made that playing style obsolete, but Wozniacki still believes in its effectiveness, evident in her win over Kvitova.

The Dane constructed the points around her stronger backhand, baited her opponent into errors (she made 13 unforced errors compared to Kvitova’s 40), made her unsuccessfully try to hit through her defence, and served consistently. Wozniacki’s workman-like approach has always been aided by an inner mental strength, which was on display again after she reset after netting two simple returns when she had match points, winning the match in a tiebreaker.

In announcing her return to tennis, in an essay published in Vogue, Wozniacki firmly pointed to the fact that she believes she can win a Grand Slam again. “Can I win the US Open? I think so. Can I win the Australian Open? I think so,” she said. “That’s why I’m doing this. And I guess we’ll see what happens.”

Bold claims were backed up by an unexpectedly bold performance. A sustained run by her could become one of the stories of the tournament.