Grand Slam Champion Awarded Wild Card

CINCINNATI (July 6, 2023) – Eighteen years after making her WTA Tour debut as an unranked, 15-year-old wild card at the 2005 Western & Southern Open, Grand Slam champion and former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki has again accepted a wild card for the tournament as she returns to competition after a three-year retirement.

“Caroline coming back to tennis is an exciting story for all of us. The Western & Southern Open is proud to be part of this early stage of her return to the sport,” said Tournament Director Todd Martin. “Caroline has demonstrated remarkable grace and perseverance over the years, and we are confident that this next stanza of her career will be conducted similarly.”

Wozniacki reached a semifinal and three quarterfinals in her previous 11 appearances at the tournament, tying her with current players Petra Kvitova and Sloane Stephens for most appearances in the women’s field.

A native of Denmark who turns 33 next week, Wozniacki retired from tennis in 2020 and has since had two children with husband and former NBA player David Lee – a daughter born in June 2021 and a son born in October 2022. She announced last week her decision to return to competitive tennis in a Vogue article.

“I first came to Cincinnati when I was fifteen years old in 2005. I am so happy to be back where I played my first WTA tournament,” Wozniacki said. “A big thank you to the tournament for this opportunity.”

Wozniacki won the 2018 Australian Open, owns 30 career singles titles and was world No. 1 in 2010-11 and again in 2018 for a total of 71 weeks. She reached two US Open finals including 2009 when she lost to wild card Kim Clijsters who had just returned to tennis after having a child. In 2014 she fell to good friend Serena Williams.

The Western & Southern Open will be Wozniacki’s second singles event this summer after playing in Montreal and before heading to the US Open. She will compete in the Wimbledon Legends event next week. Since last year she has worked as an analyst for Tennis Channel and ESPN.

The player fields for both the men’s and women’s singles draws will be announced the week of July 17. Individual daily tickets for all sessions are on sale now. Multi-day ticket packages are sold out. Information about available tickets can be found at wsopen.com/tickets and the schedule is available here.

The Western & Southern Open will be held Aug. 12-20 at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio. It is one of only five premier events globally to host an ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 tournament in the same week at the same venue, joining Madrid, Miami, Rome and Indian Wells, California.

Founded in 1899, the Western & Southern Open is an ATP Masters 1000 and a WTA 1000 tournament. The Western & Southern Open annually welcomes nearly 200,000 fans who come from all 50 states and 40 countries and is seen by more than 126 million global viewers in over 192 global markets. Since 1974, the tournament has contributed more than $12 million to various beneficiaries including Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, the UC Health Barrett Cancer Center and Tennis for City Youth. The Western & Southern Open is held annually at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio. For more information, visit www.wsopen.com.

About the WTA

Founded by Billie Jean King in 1973 on the principle of equal opportunity, the WTA is the global leader in women’s professional sports. The WTA is one of the world’s most recognizable and high-profile sports organizations, consisting of more than 1600 players representing over 80 nations, all competing to earn WTA rankings points and prestigious tournament titles. The Hologic WTA Tour is comprised of over 70 events and four Grand Slams, spanning 30 countries and regions across six continents with a global audience of nearly 900 million. Further information on the WTA can be found at wtatennis.com.

About the ATP

As the global governing body of men’s professional tennis, the ATP’s mission is to serve tennis. We

entertain a billion global fans, showcase the world’s greatest players at the most prestigious tournaments,and inspire the next generation of fans and players. From the United Cup in Australia, to Europe, the Americas and Asia, the stars of the game battle for titles and Pepperstone ATP Rankings points at ATP Masters 1000, 500 and 250 events, and Grand Slams. All roads lead towards the Nitto ATP Finals, the prestigious season finale held in Turin, Italy. Featuring only the world’s top 8 qualified singles players and doubles teams, the tournament also sees the official crowning of the year-end ATP World No. 1, presented by Pepperstone, the ultimate achievement in tennis. For more information, please visit www.ATPTour.com.