Caroline Wozniacki's comeback to tennis at 33 after fighting a crippling condition and having two children is one of the most incredible sports stories of the year.
The Danish former world No.1 lost in the third round of the Australian Open in 2020 before disappearing from public view for more than three years.
Behind the scenes she was dealing with an illness that struck her like a bolt of lightning in the months after her greatest triumph, the 2018 Australian Open title, which finally broke her duck as a grand slam winner after years towards the top of the world rankings.
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Speaking to Nine's Today to announce her intention to continue her remarkable comeback to tennis at the 2024 Australian Open, Wozniacki revealed her health deteriorated in 2018 to such a point that she was unable to get out of bed or brush her hair.
At that point she had no idea she was suffering from rheumatoid arthritis - a chronic autoimmune disease that causes shocking pain and immobility in the joints - only that something was horribly wrong.
"That was really tough. So after I won the Australian Open in 2018 I wasn't feeling that great months after that. And I didn't know what was going on," Wozniacki told Today.
"It wasn't until one day when I couldn't get out of bed and couldn't even tie my hair or brush my hair or do anything, I knew something was wrong and that's when I knew I needed to look out for a doctor who could help me and tell me what was wrong with me, and that's when I realised I had rheumatoid arthritis."
Wozniacki continued to play through 2018 and incredibly maintained her position among the top players in the world, finishing the year ranked third.
However, she slipped to No.38 in 2019 and hovered around that position until announcing her retirement in December 2019. She bid farewell to tennis at the 2020 Australian Open, where she lost in the third round to Tunisian star Ons Jabeur.
At that point she had no expectation of ever returning to tennis, putting her energy into her health battle and family life with husband, former NBA star David Lee. Wozniacki and Lee now share two children, two-year-old daughter Olivia and 11-month-old son James.
However during her time away from the court, Wozniacki started to get on top of her illness and decided she would make a comeback to tennis, spectacularly exceeding expectations at the US Open by beating 11th seed Petra Kvitova in the second round, before dispatching American Jennifer Brady, a two-time grand slam semi-finalist, to progress to the second week.
That's where the fairy tale was brought to an end, but not before she pushed rising superstar Coco Gauff, winning the second set 6-3 to take the eventual champion to a decider, where the teen phenom was too strong, prevailing 6-1.
However, it was a stunning performance to make it that far having played so little tennis in the previous three years.
Wozniacki hopes her remarkable second coming will inspire other people battling with chronic autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis.
"It's been a long journey getting that under control but I am happy to say that I'm feeling great right now," she said. "It's a work in progress every day and you get to know your body better and better but it's definitely not easy, I know there's a lot of people who struggle with autoimmune diseases, and I think my one thing would be to say, stand up for yourself and you know your body best, so if you're not feeling your best, go and see your doctor you trust and you can feel better and your dreams can come true as well.
"I think for me, now having two kids and coming back to play with my rheumatoid arthritis, I hope that I can inspire other people to live their dreams as well."
Wozniacki's comeback will continue during the Australian summer.
The Australian Open 2024 main draw will start on a Sunday for the first time, extending it to a 15-day tournament after traditionally being played over 14 days. It will start on Sunday January 14, with the men's singles final to close out the tournament on Sunday January 28.
Caroline Wozniacki's comeback to tennis at 33 after fighting a crippling condition and having two children is one of the most incredible sports stories of the year.
The Danish former world No.1 lost in the third round of the Australian Open in 2020 before disappearing from public view for more than three years.
Behind the scenes she was dealing with an illness that struck her like a bolt of lightning in the months after her greatest triumph, the 2018 Australian Open title, which finally broke her duck as a grand slam winner after years towards the top of the world rankings.
LIVE UPDATES: AFL trade period 2023
READ MORE: Nadal makes major announcement
READ MORE: Bizarre 'refusal' behind push to oust Tigers boss
Speaking to Nine's Today to announce her intention to continue her remarkable comeback to tennis at the 2024 Australian Open, Wozniacki revealed her health deteriorated in 2018 to such a point that she was unable to get out of bed or brush her hair.
At that point she had no idea she was suffering from rheumatoid arthritis - a chronic autoimmune disease that causes shocking pain and immobility in the joints - only that something was horribly wrong.
"That was really tough. So after I won the Australian Open in 2018 I wasn't feeling that great months after that. And I didn't know what was going on," Wozniacki told Today.
"It wasn't until one day when I couldn't get out of bed and couldn't even tie my hair or brush my hair or do anything, I knew something was wrong and that's when I knew I needed to look out for a doctor who could help me and tell me what was wrong with me, and that's when I realised I had rheumatoid arthritis."
Wozniacki continued to play through 2018 and incredibly maintained her position among the top players in the world, finishing the year ranked third.
However, she slipped to No.38 in 2019 and hovered around that position until announcing her retirement in December 2019. She bid farewell to tennis at the 2020 Australian Open, where she lost in the third round to Tunisian star Ons Jabeur.
At that point she had no expectation of ever returning to tennis, putting her energy into her health battle and family life with husband, former NBA star David Lee. Wozniacki and Lee now share two children, two-year-old daughter Olivia and 11-month-old son James.
However during her time away from the court, Wozniacki started to get on top of her illness and decided she would make a comeback to tennis, spectacularly exceeding expectations at the US Open by beating 11th seed Petra Kvitova in the second round, before dispatching American Jennifer Brady, a two-time grand slam semi-finalist, to progress to the second week.
That's where the fairy tale was brought to an end, but not before she pushed rising superstar Coco Gauff, winning the second set 6-3 to take the eventual champion to a decider, where the teen phenom was too strong, prevailing 6-1.
However, it was a stunning performance to make it that far having played so little tennis in the previous three years.
Wozniacki hopes her remarkable second coming will inspire other people battling with chronic autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis.
"It's been a long journey getting that under control but I am happy to say that I'm feeling great right now," she said. "It's a work in progress every day and you get to know your body better and better but it's definitely not easy, I know there's a lot of people who struggle with autoimmune diseases, and I think my one thing would be to say, stand up for yourself and you know your body best, so if you're not feeling your best, go and see your doctor you trust and you can feel better and your dreams can come true as well.
"I think for me, now having two kids and coming back to play with my rheumatoid arthritis, I hope that I can inspire other people to live their dreams as well."
Wozniacki's comeback will continue during the Australian summer.
The Australian Open 2024 main draw will start on a Sunday for the first time, extending it to a 15-day tournament after traditionally being played over 14 days. It will start on Sunday January 14, with the men's singles final to close out the tournament on Sunday January 28.
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