Caroline Wozniacki facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Caroline Wozniacki

Wozniacki at the 2017 Eastbourne International
Country (sports)	Denmark
Residence	Fisher Island, US Odense, Denmark Monte Carlo, Monaco
Born	(1990-07-11) 11 July 1990 (age 35) Odense, Denmark
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Turned pro	19 July 2005
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Coach	Piotr Woźniacki (2004–2020, 2023–)
Prize money	$36,441,868 7th in all-time rankings
Singles
Career record	655–280 (70.05%)
Career titles	30
Highest ranking	No. 1 (11 October 2010)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	W (2018)
French Open	QF (2010, 2017)
Wimbledon	4R (2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2017)
US Open	F (2009, 2014)
Other tournaments
Tour Finals	W (2017)
Olympic Games	QF (2012)
Doubles
Career record	39–56 (41.05%)
Career titles	2
Highest ranking	No. 52 (14 September 2009)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	2R (2008)
French Open	2R (2010)
Wimbledon	2R (2009, 2010)
US Open	3R (2009)

Caroline Wozniacki is a famous Danish professional tennis player. She was once ranked as the world No. 1 in women's singles by the WTA. She held this top spot for a total of 71 weeks, including being the year-end world No. 1 in 2010 and 2011. Caroline has won 30 singles titles on the WTA Tour, including a major championship at the 2018 Australian Open. She also won the 2017 WTA Finals.

Caroline had a great junior career, winning the junior title at the 2006 Wimbledon Championships. After being named the WTA Newcomer of the Year in 2008, she reached two major finals at the 2009 and 2014 US Open. She also played in the final of the 2010 WTA Tour Championships. Caroline first became world No. 1 in 2010. She retired from tennis after the 2020 Australian Open. In 2022, she became a commentator for Tennis Channel and ESPN. She then made a comeback to professional tennis at the 2023 Canadian Open and the US Open. Caroline is well-known for her amazing footwork and strong defensive skills on the court.

Early Life and Family

Caroline Wozniacki was born in Odense, Denmark. Her family has Polish roots. Her mother, Anna, played for the Polish women's national volleyball team. Her father, Piotr, was a professional football player. They moved to Denmark when Piotr joined the Danish football club B1909. Caroline's older brother, Patrik Wozniacki, also played professional football in Denmark.

Junior Tennis Career

Caroline had a very successful junior career, reaching a high ranking of No. 2 in the world. She started playing on the ITF Junior Circuit in October 2003 when she was 13 years old. This circuit is for junior players aged 18 and under. In her first month, she reached two finals in Denmark, winning one of them.

She quickly moved up to higher-level tournaments, winning her first four singles events in 2004. Her winning streak of five tournaments and 27 matches ended in April. She then started playing in the highest-level junior tournaments. Caroline won her first top-level junior title at the Osaka Mayor's Cup in 2004.

In 2005, Caroline won several junior tournaments, including the Orange Bowl. She made her first appearance on the WTA Tour on July 19, 2005, at the Western & Southern Open.

Caroline Wozniacki during the 2006 Wimbledon girls' singles final

In 2006, she was the top seed at the Australian Open junior girls' singles, but she lost in the final. In February, she reached her first WTA Tour quarterfinal in Memphis. Before Wimbledon, Caroline won an exhibition tournament in Liverpool. She was given a special entry to the qualifying rounds at Wimbledon, but lost in the first round. However, she went on to win the Wimbledon girls' singles title, which was a big achievement.

At the US Open girls' singles, she was disqualified in the second set of her first-round match. In her last junior tournament, the Osaka Mayor's Cup, she won both the singles and doubles titles. Her first senior tour title came in October when she won a smaller tournament in Istanbul.

In 2007, she won two more smaller tournaments in Italy and Las Vegas. She made her debut at a top-level WTA tournament, the Indian Wells Open. In October, she reached her first WTA Tour semifinal at the Japan Open in Tokyo. She was the first Danish woman to reach a WTA semifinal since 1986.

Professional Tennis Career

2008: First WTA Title

At the Australian Open, Caroline reached the fourth round. She was seeded 30th at the French Open, which was her first Grand Slam where she was seeded. She reached the third round at both the French Open and Wimbledon.

Caroline Wozniacki during the 2008 US Open

Caroline won her first WTA Tour title at the Nordic Light Open in Stockholm without losing a single set. She won her second WTA Tour title at the New Haven Open. At the US Open, she reached the fourth round. She won her first WTA doubles title at the China Open with her partner Anabel Medina Garrigues. Caroline won her third singles title of the year at the Japan Open. She also won the Danish Open in her hometown of Odense.

She finished 2008 ranked 12th in singles and was named the Newcomer of the Year.

2009: First Major Final

Caroline started 2009 by reaching quarterfinals in Auckland and Sydney. At the Australian Open, she lost in the third round. She reached the final of the Cellular South Cup in Memphis.

Caroline won her first title of 2009 at the Amelia Island Championships. She reached the final of the Madrid Open, but lost to the world No. 1. Caroline won her second title of the year on grass at the Eastbourne. She then defended her title at the Pilot Pen Tennis in New Haven, winning her third title of the season.

Caroline Wozniacki reached her first Grand Slam final at the 2009 US Open

At the US Open, Caroline made history by becoming the first Danish woman to reach a Grand Slam final. She defeated tough opponents like Svetlana Kuznetsova. In the final, she was defeated by Kim Clijsters. Her great results in 2009 allowed her to qualify for the year-end WTA Tour Championships for the first time. She reached the semifinals but had to stop playing due to an injury.

2010: Becoming World No. 1

Caroline started 2010 by reaching the final at Indian Wells, where she lost to Jelena Janković. This result helped her reach a new career-high ranking of world No. 2. She won her first title of the year in Ponte Vedra Beach.

Caroline Wozniacki serving at the 2010 Australian Open

At the French Open, she had her best result there, reaching the quarterfinals. Caroline won her second title of the year at the first-ever Danish Open in her home country. She then won her third title of the year in Montreal. As the top seed in New Haven, she won her third title in a row there.

Caroline was the top seed at the US Open and reached the semifinals. Her next big win was at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, where she won her fifth title of the year. She then entered the China Open in Beijing. By reaching the third round, she was guaranteed to become the new world No. 1 after the tournament. She was the first Danish player, male or female, to reach the top ranking. Caroline went on to win the tournament, her sixth title of the year.

At the year-end WTA Championships, she reached the final but lost to Kim Clijsters. Caroline ended the season with six WTA Tour singles titles, more than any other player that year.

2011: Second Year as World No. 1

Caroline started 2011 as world No. 1. At the Australian Open, she reached the semifinals. She won her first title of the year in Dubai. In Doha, she reached the final. At Indian Wells, she won her 14th singles title. She won her third title of the year at the Family Circle Cup. Caroline reached her fifth final of the year in Stuttgart. She won her first title on red clay at the Brussels Open.

Caroline was the top seed at the French Open, but was upset in the third round. She won her fifth title of the year at the Danish Open. At Wimbledon, she reached the fourth round. She won the New Haven Open for the fourth year in a row. At the US Open, she reached the semifinals.

Caroline finished the year as world No. 1 for the second year in a row.

2012: Challenges and Two Titles

Caroline started 2012 at the Australian Open as the top seed. She reached the quarterfinals but lost to Kim Clijsters. As a result, she lost her top ranking. She reached the semifinals in Miami. Caroline played her home tournament in Copenhagen, reaching the final.

At the French Open, she lost in the third round. At Wimbledon, she lost in the first round, which was her first early exit from a Grand Slam. Caroline represented Denmark at the Olympics and reached the quarterfinals.

Caroline won her first tournament of the year in Seoul, her 19th career title. Her next tournament was the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, where she reached the quarterfinals. She won her second title of the year, and 20th overall, at the Kremlin Cup. She ended the year ranked 10th.

2013: Overcoming Challenges

Caroline Wozniacki reached her first final of the year at the 2013 Indian Wells Open

Caroline started 2013 at the Australian Open, reaching the fourth round. She reached the quarterfinals at the Qatar Ladies Open and the semifinals in Dubai. At the Indian Wells Open, she reached her first final of the year but lost to Maria Sharapova.

At Wimbledon, she injured her ankle in the second round and lost the match. Her season continued with some tough losses. During the Asian swing, she reached the semifinals of the Pan Pacific Open.

Caroline's final event of the year was the Luxembourg Open. She won her first and only title of the year there. She finished the year ranked world No. 10.

2014: Strong Comeback and Second Major Final

Caroline started 2014 in Sydney. At the Australian Open, she lost in the third round. She reached the semifinals in Dubai.

Caroline Wozniacki serving at the 2014 Wimbledon Championships

Caroline had a great grass-court season, reaching the semifinals of the Eastbourne International. At the Wimbledon Championships, she reached the fourth round for the fourth time.

Caroline won her first title of the year at the İstanbul Cup. At the Western & Southern Open, she reached the semifinals.

Caroline was the tenth seed at the US Open. She had a fantastic run, defeating former world No. 1 Maria Sharapova to reach the quarterfinals. She then easily won her quarterfinal match. In the semifinals, her opponent had to stop playing due to illness, allowing Caroline to reach her second Grand Slam final. In the final, she lost to Serena Williams. Because of her strong performance, Caroline returned to the top 10 rankings.

She reached the final of the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. Caroline qualified for the WTA Finals. She won all her group matches, including a win over Maria Sharapova. She lost to Serena Williams in a very close semifinal match. She finished the year ranked No. 8.

In November 2014, Caroline ran the New York City Marathon, finishing in 3 hours, 26 minutes, and 33 seconds. She felt that her running training helped her tennis performance.

2015: Out of Top 10

Caroline started 2015 by reaching the final of the Auckland Open. At the Australian Open, she lost in the second round. She reached the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships. Caroline won the Malaysian Open title.

Caroline Wozniacki practicing at the 2015 Eastbourne International

She reached her first clay court final since 2011 at Stuttgart. At the French Open, she lost in the second round. At the Eastbourne International, she reached the semifinals but had to stop playing due to a back injury. Caroline played at Wimbledon and reached the fourth round.

Her summer hardcourt season was slow due to an ankle injury. At the Connecticut Open, she reached the semifinals. At the US Open, she was upset in the second round. Caroline reached the semifinals of the Pan Pacific Open. She finished the year ranked No. 17.

2016: Injuries and Comeback

Caroline started 2016 at the Auckland Open, reaching the semifinals. At the Australian Open, she lost in the first round. She injured her ankle during practice, which kept her out of all clay-court tournaments, including the French Open. This caused her ranking to drop.

At Wimbledon, she lost in the first round, which made her fall out of the top 50 rankings.

Caroline Wozniacki playing at the 2016 US Open

Caroline's year turned around at the US Open. She had a great run, defeating strong players and reaching the semifinals. She lost to Angelique Kerber, who became the new world No. 1.

She then moved on to the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. She defeated the defending champion and won her 24th WTA Tour title, her first title since March 2015. This was also her first Premier-level title since 2012. Caroline won her second title of the season and 25th overall at the Hong Kong Open. This was the first time since 2012 that she had won two WTA Tour titles in one season. With this win, she returned to the top 20. She ended her season ranked No. 19.

2017: WTA Finals Champion and Top 3 Return

Caroline started 2017 at the Auckland Open, reaching the quarterfinals. At the Australian Open, she reached the third round.

Caroline reached the finals of the Qatar Ladies Open and the Dubai Championships. Despite losing both finals, she rose back up to No. 14.

Caroline Wozniacki during the 2017 Indian Wells Open

At the Indian Wells Open, she reached the quarterfinals. At the Miami Open, she reached her first final there and her first Premier Mandatory final since 2013. She lost to Johanna Konta. At the French Open, she reached the quarterfinals for the first time since 2010. She reached her fourth final of the year at the Eastbourne International. At Wimbledon, she reached the fourth round.

Caroline made her fifth final of the year at the Swedish Open. She reached her sixth final of 2017 at the Rogers Cup in Toronto, where she defeated the current world No. 1, Karolína Plíšková. She then defended her title at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.

At the WTA Finals, Caroline had an amazing performance. She defeated Elina Svitolina and the world No. 1, Simona Halep. She reached the final for the first time since 2010. In the final, she defeated Venus Williams to win the biggest title of her career. This win moved her up to world No. 3, her highest year-end ranking since 2011.

2018: Australian Open Champion and Back to No. 1

Caroline began 2018 at the Auckland Open, reaching the final.

Caroline Wozniacki practicing at the 2018 Australian Open

At the Australian Open, Caroline was seeded second. She had a thrilling journey, saving two match points in an early round. She reached her third Grand Slam final. In the final, she defeated top seed and world No. 1 Simona Halep in a tough three-set match. By winning her first Grand Slam title, she became world No. 1 again on January 29, 2018. This was exactly six years after she last held the top spot, setting a new record for the longest gap between being world No. 1.

She reached the semifinals at the Qatar Ladies Open. With her performance in Qatar, Caroline became only the fourth player in WTA history to earn over $30,000,000 in prize money. She won her second title of the year at Eastbourne, her 29th career title. This final also marked her 600th career match-win.

In Beijing, Caroline won her second China Open title without losing a set. This performance helped her secure a spot in the WTA Finals. At the WTA Finals, she was the defending champion but was eliminated in the group stage. Shortly after, she shared that she had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis before the 2018 US Open.

2019: Playing with Injuries

Caroline started 2019 at the Auckland Open. At the Australian Open, she reached the third round. Due to a viral illness, she withdrew from some tournaments, which caused her to drop out of the top ten rankings. In April, she reached the final at the Charleston Open.

Caroline ended her season without winning a title for the first time since 2007. On December 6, 2019, she announced that she would retire from professional tennis after the 2020 Australian Open in January.

2020–2022: Farewell Tour

Caroline reached the semifinals of the 2020 Auckland Open. She also played doubles with her good friend Serena Williams for the only time in their careers, reaching the final.

Her farewell tournament was the Australian Open, where she played her last match in the third round. A special farewell match was planned for May 2020 in Copenhagen, but it was postponed until April 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2023–2024: Return to Tennis

In June 2023, Caroline announced her return to professional tennis. She accepted special entries to big tournaments in Montreal and Cincinnati before playing at the US Open. At the US Open, she reached the fourth round. She then decided not to play any more tournaments in 2023, planning to return at the 2024 Australian Open, where she reached the second round.

At the WTA 1000 Indian Wells Open, Caroline reached the quarterfinals, her first since returning to the tour. She had to stop playing in her quarterfinal match due to an injury. At the Miami Open, she started well but lost in the second round.

After a challenging clay court season, Caroline received a special entry for former Grand Slam champions to play in the women's singles at the 2024 Summer Olympics. She also expressed interest in playing mixed doubles with fellow Danish player Holger Rune.

Caroline reached the quarterfinals in Bad Homburg, but had to retire from her match due to a knee injury. Despite this, she re-entered the top 100 rankings. At the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, she reached the third round. At the Olympics in Paris, she reached the second round.

At the US Open, Caroline reached the fourth round for the second year in a row, showing strong play.

Playing Style

Caroline Wozniacki is known for her defensive playing style. This means she focuses on getting every ball back and making it hard for her opponents to score. She was described as one of the most defensive players to reach No. 1. Her best qualities on the court are her amazing movement, speed, and ability to cover the entire court. She is also very good at anticipating where the ball will go.

Some people called her a "pusher" because her game was mostly about defense and didn't have many powerful attacking shots. But Caroline responded by saying, "If I don't have a weapon, then what do the others have? Since I'm No. 1, I must do something right."

Caroline's strongest shot is her two-handed backhand. She uses it to change from defense to offense. Her backhand is hit flat and is known for being deep and powerful. Her forehand was considered her weakest shot. To make up for this, she often used a "moonball," which is a slow, high shot that pushes opponents far back.

She has a powerful first serve, which can be very fast. However, her second serve is weaker and can be attacked by opponents. Caroline is also known for her great return game, where she can handle powerful serves and attack weaker ones. She usually only comes to the net to hit short balls.

Caroline is also known for her mental toughness and competitive spirit. She prefers playing on hard courts and grass courts. She likes hard courts because the ball bounces consistently. She likes grass courts because they are fast, which helps her defend well. She doesn't like clay courts as much because she finds sliding difficult, and the slow pace makes her movement less effective. Most of her success, 24 out of 30 singles titles, came on hard courts.

Coaching

Caroline's father, Piotr, was her main coach since she was 14 years old. She also worked with other coaches for short periods, including Sven Groeneveld, Ricardo Sanchez, Thomas Johansson, Thomas Högstedt, and Michael Mortensen. After 2014, her father Piotr became her coach again for the rest of her career.

Endorsements

In 2007, Caroline signed a deal with Adidas, who provided her with clothing and shoes. She later wore tennis clothes designed by Stella McCartney for Adidas. For most of her career, she used Babolat racquets. From 2011 to 2013, she used Yonex racquets, but then returned to Babolat in 2014.

She also had endorsement deals with Turkish Airlines, Compeed BlisterPatch, Godiva Chocolatier, and Lympo. Other partners included Rolex, USANA, The Players' Tribune, and Mundipharma.

In 2011, SportsPro magazine said Caroline was the world's ninth-most marketable athlete. Forbes magazine ranked her as the second-highest-earning female athlete in the world in 2011. In 2018, Forbes listed her among the "Most Powerful Women in International Sports."

Personal Life

Outside Tennis

Caroline's best friend is fellow Danish tennis player Malou Ejdesgaard. She is also close friends with Serena Williams, Agnieszka Radwańska, Urszula Radwańska, and Angelique Kerber. Caroline is a big fan of football and supports Liverpool F.C..

Relationships and Family

Caroline was engaged to Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy from 2011 to 2014. On Valentine's Day in 2017, Caroline shared that she was in a relationship with former NBA basketball player David Lee. They got engaged in November 2017 and married on June 16, 2019, in Tuscany, Italy. Serena Williams was one of her bridesmaids.

On February 10, 2021, Caroline announced she was expecting her first child. Her daughter, Olivia Wozniacki Lee, was born on June 11, 2021. On June 19, 2022, she announced she was expecting her second child. Her son, James Wozniacki Lee, was born on October 24, 2022. On April 6, 2025, Caroline announced she was expecting her third child. Her son, Max Wozniacki-Lee, was born on July 26, 2025.

Health

In October 2018, Caroline announced that she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, which is an auto-immune disease. She wanted to be a role model for others with the condition. She was diagnosed before the 2018 US Open but continued to play. After her diagnosis, her results dipped for a bit, but she bounced back by winning the 2018 China Open.

Rivalries

Caroline Wozniacki vs. Serena Williams

Caroline and Serena Williams have played each other 11 times, with Serena winning 10 of those matches. Serena leads in major tournaments and on hard courts, clay, and grass.

Their first match was in 2009. Caroline's only win against Serena was in 2012. In 2014, they played four times, and Serena won all of them, including the US Open final. Their last match at the WTA Finals was a very close one.

Even though they are rivals on the court, Caroline and Serena are very close friends off the court. They have supported each other through tough times, gone on vacation together, and attended each other's weddings.

Caroline Wozniacki vs. Agnieszka Radwańska

Caroline and Agnieszka Radwańska have played 17 times, with Caroline winning 11 matches. Caroline leads on hard courts and clay.

Their first match was in 2007. Caroline won five matches in a row against Agnieszka at one point. They have had many close matches throughout their careers.

Caroline Wozniacki vs. Angelique Kerber

Caroline and Angelique Kerber have played 16 times, and they each have won 8 matches.

Caroline Wozniacki vs. Maria Sharapova

Caroline and Maria Sharapova have played 11 times, with Maria winning 7 matches. Caroline leads in Grand Slam matches at the US Open. They are tied on hard courts, but Maria leads on clay.

Their first match was in 2008. Caroline won two matches in a row to tie their head-to-head record. Maria then won three matches in a row, including their only final match. Caroline broke that streak by beating Maria at the 2014 US Open. Their most recent match was at the 2019 Australian Open.

Caroline Wozniacki vs. Simona Halep

Caroline and Simona Halep have played 7 times, with Caroline winning 5 matches. Caroline leads on hard courts, clay, and grass, and in major tournaments.

Their first match was in 2012. Simona won the next two matches. Caroline then went on a four-match winning streak against Simona. This streak included their most important match at the 2018 Australian Open final, where Caroline defeated Simona to win her first Grand Slam title and take the world No. 1 ranking from Simona.

Caroline Wozniacki vs. Karolína Plíšková

Caroline and Karolína Plíšková have played 10 times, with Caroline winning 6 matches. Caroline leads on hard courts, while Karolína leads on grass. They have never played each other at a major tournament.

Their rivalry became more intense in 2017 when they played six times. They traded wins, with each player winning three matches that year. Caroline won a very close semifinal match at the WTA Finals before going on to win the title.

Career Statistics

Significant Finals

Grand Slam Tournaments

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	2009	US Open	Hard	Kim Clijsters	5–7, 3–6
Loss	2014	US Open	Hard	Serena Williams	3–6, 3–6
Win	2018	Australian Open	Hard	Simona Halep	7–6(7–2), 3–6, 6–4

WTA Championships

Result	Year	Location	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	2010	Doha, Qatar	Hard	Kim Clijsters	3–6, 7–5, 3–6
Win	2017	Singapore	Hard (i)	Venus Williams	6–4, 6–4

Grand Slam Performance Timelines

Singles

Doubles

Achievements

Time span	Selected records	Players matched	Ref
29 January 2012 – 29 January 2018	The longest time for a female player to return to world No. 1	Stands alone
2008–2011	4 Connecticut Open titles	Steffi Graf Venus Williams

See also

In Spanish: Caroline Wozniacki para niños