Making her way back to the tennis court after a sabbatical of more than three years, former world number one, Caroline Wozniacki moved past her Australian qualifier, Kimberly Birrell, in her first competitive match at the Canadian Open in Montreal on Tuesday. She defeated Birrell 6-2 6-2 without any difficulty.
The Danish player had announced retirement in 2020 to focus on family life after a successful career that included being the World No 1 and winning the 2018 Australian Open. However, in June, she declared her comeback into professional tennis.
In her first game since the return, the player showed no sign of slowing down and displayed impressive mobility, and superior shot selection throughout the match that lasted 97-minute.
After the match, Wozniacki said that she was happy to return on the centre court and play in front of a big crowd. It is important to note that she was away from the sport for over three years.
The 33-year-old Caroline Wozniacki, will next face reigning Wimbledon Champion Marketa Vondrousova, who defeated Mayar Sherif of Egypt with a scoreline of 6-4, 6-2.
Wozniacki is however not the first player to return to competitive sport after becoming mother. She has now joined the league of Serena Williams, Kim Clijsters, Elina Svitolina and Victoria Azarenka.
Wozniacki has also been granted wildcards for the Cincinnati Open taking place next week and the U.S. Open scheduled for August 28 through September 10.