Caroline Wozniacki made a winning return to the court at the National Bank Open in Montreal, more than three years after bidding farewell to tennis.
Wozniacki, who walked away from the sport following the 2020 Australian Open and has since had two children, looked like she had never been away as she swept past Australian qualifier Kimberly Birrell 6-2 6-2.
She will play Marketa Vondrousova in the next round on Wednesday after the Wimbledon champion opened her campaign in Montreal with a 6-4 6-2 win over Mayar Sherif.
“It feels great, my first match back in over three years and I was definitely a little rusty,” said Wozniacki. “But what an amazing place to come back to play my first match.”
Wozniacki was understandably nervous at the start and threw in two double faults on her way to dropping serve in the first game.
But with the breezy conditions making serving tricky, five of the first six games were breaks, with Wozniacki’s sole hold giving her the advantage and she wrapped up the opening set in 43 minutes.
Wozniacki made a winning return to tennis, 1292 days after her last match
The former world No 1, who won the Australian Open in 2018, aims to be fully up to speed in time for the US Open later this month – live on Sky Sports from August 28 to September 10.
Wozniacki finished the job on her first match point, a backhand winner down the line before raising her arms in delight.
It is straight back to parental duties for the Dane though following her first win as a mother.
“That’s pretty crazy,” she added. “I was just looking at the clock and my kids are napping now! That’s the good part about playing early – I still have the afternoon with them.”
Wozniacki has also been given wild cards to compete in next week’s Cincinnati Open and the US Open.
You know, I wake up, I have breakfast with them, and then I say, okay, mama has to go to work. And when they wake up from their nap in the afternoon, I’m back and we have play dates and do whatever. But yeah, it was just that was a little different this morning. I tried to explain to Olivia I was going to play a match and she goes, Okay, Mama, I have a wish. I wish you win.
In a battle of recent champions, Italy’s Camila Giorgi overpowered Bianca Andreescu 6-3 6-2 despite a crowd that was firmly in the Canadian’s corner.
Next up for Giorgi, who claimed the title in 2021, is seventh seed Petra Kvitova, who was given a first round bye.
