Bryce Miller: Tennis mom Caroline Wozniacki brings comeback story to Cymbiotika San Diego Open

Count Caroline Wozniacki among all those mothers who re-enter the workforce, striving to find that tricky balance between parenting and the things that bring in a paycheck.

Wozniacki, 33, stepped away from professional tennis for three and a half years. She turned pro at 15 and was ranked No. 1 in the world for 71 weeks, two more than Venus Williams, Tracy Austin, Kim Clijsters and Jennifer Capriati combined.

It was her life until, well, life came along.

Despite an enormous amount of winning, including the Australian Open title in 2018, Wozniacki wanted children. The racket gathered dust as she and former NBA-playing husband David Lee welcomed a precocious daughter named Olivia and son James.

“Olivia loves to be on the tennis court,” said Wozniacki, explaining how her two worlds overlapped. “One day in Australia, I woke up Olivia in the morning and said, ‘Mommy has to go practice.’ She looks at me and says, ‘But why?’ I said, ‘I’m trying to get better at tennis. Mommy wants to win a lot more.’

“She said, ‘Well, I don’t need to practice. I’m already really good.’ Pretty funny for a 2-year-old.”

Caroline Wozniacki high-fives her daughter Olivia during a charity event last month at the Australian Open.

(Alessandra Tarantino / Associated Press)

Tennis might have been shelved, but never forgotten. The fire reignited, which is why Wozniacki accepted a wild-card invitation to play in the Cymbiotika San Diego Open, a WTA 500 event that roars to life Feb. 24 at the Barnes Tennis Center.

Wozniacki played a pair of WTA events last year to begin the road back. She made a fourth-round run at the U.S. Open, where she has been a two-time finalist. She beat world-No. 55 Magda Linette in the first round of the most recent Australian Open.

Mom had more left in the tank. More to chase. More to prove.

“It was great to be back,” Wozniacki said of the Open. “The U.S. Open always has been a very special tournament for me. I feel comfortable. I’ve done well there. Losing to the eventual champion (Coco Gauff) gave me the belief I’m moving in the right direction.”

Wozniacki already understands the underpinnings of a stirring comeback story. She rose to No. 1 in October 2010 and returned to the top after winning in Australia eight years later. The gap between being a top-ranked player is the longest since WTA rankings began in 1975.

The Danish star has earned 30 WTA singles titles, winning at least one for 11 consecutive years from 2008-18. She toppled Venus Williams in the WTA Finals in 2017. She nearly broke through in the U.S. Open twice, falling to Clijsters in 2009 and Serena Williams in 2014.

Carolina Wozniacki won 30 WTA singles titles before taking a break.

(Manu Fernandez / Associated Press)

No matter what happens moving forward, what is her legacy?

“I don’t know,” said Wozniacki, pondering the big picture. “For me, I worked really hard to achieve the things I achieved. Being from a small country where tennis wasn’t a big sport, being a trailblazer, the first Scandinavian woman to win a Grand Slam (tournament) and be No. 1 is pretty cool.”

Any U.S. Open regrets?

“I don’t really believe in regrets,” she said. “You do the best you possibly can, learn from it and move on. That’s my philosophy. There’s no reason to think what-if. There were a lot of matches I won that I could have lost.

“I just try to leave it all out there.”

Did starting and succeeding at such a young age burn the fuse too fast?

“I never really thought about pressure,” Wozniacki said. “That was kind of normal for me. That was my life. I matured very early, traveling around the world from a young age. I don’t think I felt super young at 19, if that makes sense. I felt ready. That was my time. I was ready to take on the world. That was always my mindset.”

World, here she comes again. The goals remain just as lofty. The sweat and climb just as satisfying.

Ceilings? What ceilings?

“I would love to get into the Olympics,” Wozniak said. “That’s a big goal of mine. I’d love to play the mixed doubles (with country-mate Holger Rune) and go for a medal.”

The trigger for all of this?

“After having my two kids and a break from tennis and seeing tennis from the outside, I wanted to get back in shape,” she said. “I started hitting once a week. I felt like I hit the ball so well. I thought, this is the time while I’m still young enough to compete.

“Why not compete against the best in the world?”

Caroline Wozniacki returns to Coco Gauff during the fourth round of the U.S. Open in September.

(Eduardo Munoz Alvarez / Associated Press)

The path back leads to the San Diego Open, where Wozniacki will join the 28-player main draw in pursuit of the winner’s slice of the more than $922,000 purse.

“I’ve never spent time in San Diego,” she said. “I’ve heard it’s an amazing place. I can’t wait to come and look around town and play some great tennis. The weather is very nice. I want to get into the best form as possible.”

San Diego will provide a fresh litmus test.

“It’s a whole different situation now that I have two kids, trying to balance things with being a mom and working full time on the tennis court,” Wozniacki said. “Also making sure my body is able to hold up. That’s why I’m choosing not to play every week, because I don’t feel like I can do that at this stage.”

Working mom stuff.