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June 29 (UPI) -- Caroline Wozniacki, the former No. 1 women's tennis player in the world, will end her retirement and attempt a comeback, she announced Thursday. Wozniacki, 32, announced the move on social media and wrote a first-person essay in Vogue. She plans to play in the 2023 U.S. Open and hopes to compete at the 2024 Summer Games in Paris.
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"Over these past three years away from the game I got to make up for lost time with my family, I became a mother and now have two beautiful children I am so grateful for," Wozniacki wrote for the caption on social media posts. "But I still have goals I want to accomplish.
"I want to show my kids that you can pursue your dreams no matter your age or role. We decided as a family it's time. I'm coming back to play and I can't wait!"
The 2018 Australian Open champion also played her last match at that Melbourne-based tournament, a straight-sets, third-round setback to Ons Jabeur on Jan. 20, 2020.
Wozniacki announced Dec. 6, 2019, that she would retire from tennis after the 2020 Australian Open. She cited "things away from tennis" that she wanted to "do more," including her family and raising awareness about rheumatoid arthritis.
She married former NBA player David Lee in 2019. They welcomed daughter Olivia in 2021 and son James in October.
"Three years ago, having achieved almost everything I'd ever set out to do, I walked away from the professional tour," Wozniacki said, according to Vogue. "I wanted to start a family, and I needed a break.
"I had no idea how long that break would last. But then, one day late last year, I found myself setting up a couple of sessions on the court. And when my dad visited me in Florida, I realized I needed advice. I hit for 20, 30 minutes -- I'm not sure how long, but at one point I looked at him and said, 'I feel like I'm hitting it better than I ever have.'"
Wozniacki started playing professional at 15 years old in 2005. She earned her first win in 2006 and made her Grand Slam debut at Wimbledon 2006.
She claimed 30 WTA singles titles, a WTA Finals victory and earned more than $35.2 million in prize money. Wozniacki, a three-time Olympian, owns a 635-264 record on the singles circuit.
Wozniacki, who first became the top player in the world on Oct. 10, 2010, held the No. 1 ranking for 71 weeks.
Wozniacki plans to enter the National Bank Open, a hard court tournament that will be held from Aug. 4 to 13 in Montreal.
The U.S. Open will be held from Aug. 28 to Sept. 10 in Flushing, N.Y. Wozniacki said she "thinks" she can win the tournament.
"I'll start out playing in Montreal just to get back into the groove, and then we'll all head to New York," Wozniacki told Vogue. "After that, I'll have a couple of months to prepare for Australia, and we'll take it from there.
"The Paris Olympics are definitely a goal too."
