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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 18, 2020

Caroline Wozniacki

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What are the emotions like coming into this tournament?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: So far I've just approached it like any other tournament. But obviously it's different since it's my last one.

I'm just enjoying being out there. I've had some great practice sessions. I've done everything I could to prepare as well as I can for this tournament, then hope for the best.

Q. Do you think that's going to be the case, that you'll be able to just stay quite calm about it?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I have no idea. It's not a situation that I've ever been in. It's hard to tell.

So far I'm calm and just enjoying myself. I have my family here, which is great. I'm sure once the last ball is hit, it's going to be a bit emotional.

Q. As your finish line, what were your thoughts behind the planning?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: There's been a lot of thoughts. It's been something I've been thinking about for a long time, for a while. I just looked at my life, at my career, everything else, and I just had a look inside of myself, and it felt right. It felt like the right time for many reasons.

I'm out here, and I love the sport, I love everything that it's given me, I love being out there and competing, but I'm ready to start a new chapter in my life.

Q. What are a few of those many reasons?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I've achieved a lot. I've given it my all. Every single day I go out and I work so hard to stay at the top or to get back to the top, whatever it may be.

It doesn't feel the same. I still want to work hard, but I want to do something different. I want to try and achieve something else, some other things in life.

Life is short. I know that the tennis career is short. There's plenty of time outside to do whatever I want. At the same time, you know, you just have to go with what feels right.

Q. When you're saying farewell to the tour, ironically there's someone you know well who is coming back, Kim Clijsters, seven years without playing competitive tennis. You played your first Grand Slam final against her in New York. Do you think she can be successful again, be a contender to win major titles?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I think it's tough. I personally don't think so. She can prove me wrong. I think tennis has changed in seven years. I don't think it's as easy. I don't know if she thinks it's easy. I know it's not as easy as it looks from the outside.

I don't know what her goals are. I don't know if she's out there because she loves the game, enjoys it, wants to be out there competing. It's whatever makes her happy. I think everyone has their own choice, their own passions in life.

I do think that she's a player that was very dynamic. She runs very well. She's passive and aggressive, and she can do everything. She does that extremely well.

But she's also a player who has gone through a lot of injuries. With seven years of stopping, then you're not getting younger, I think her body is going to be -- it's going to be difficult to keep the body 100% if she wants to play a full schedule, which again I don't know if she will.

Q. You mentioned how tennis has changed in the last seven years. What are the biggest differences, if you think back?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, I think first of all players get fitter and fitter. I think the fitness in tennis has grown.

In general, when you look at the players, they've gotten taller, too. This new generation of players are mostly tall and pretty fast. I think just the speed of the ball. I may be wrong, but I feel like it's gotten to be a faster game. It's more of the one, two, three shots.

I just think the level, everyone keeps trying to -- people stay and play longer. So that generation keeps pushing the younger generation to play better.

I think everyone is just, yeah, in general getting better.

Q. Do you think there is any chance that in a few years' time you may miss the sport and decide actually you want to have another go?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I mean, I'll always have a love for the sport. I love what tennis has given me. I love competing. I'm a big competitor. But if you ask me right now, I say no. You know, you have no idea what life brings to you. Sometimes I guess you can never say never.

I don't think so.

Q. Have you thought about any symbolic gesture you want to do when everything is over that can remind you of the past?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I'm not really sure. I don't really know.

Q. What are you proudest of about your playing career? Is there anything that you either regret or wish had gone differently?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Honestly, I'm leaving with no regrets at all because I've worked so hard my whole life, my whole career. I've given it literally everything that I have to reach where I got.

Can you go back and say, Had I done this thing differently or this thing differently, maybe...

In the end of the day, every single day I showed up, in practice and in matches, and I gave it my all.

That's why I can look back at my career and say I'm very proud of everything that I've achieved, very proud of the ups and the downs. But especially to be able to just continually push myself to be a better player, I feel like I've given a lot to the sport that I can be very proud of.

Q. I know you and Serena are close. What has she made of your decision?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, she's just supportive of me. I think it was great that we got to play doubles last week. It's probably the most fun I've had on court. We had a blast. We would pretend to talk tactics. We really would talk about everything else (laughter).

Just went out there and had fun, enjoyed ourselves. I'm so happy that I got to play with her before my career was done.

Q. Do you think she'll break the record, Serena?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I think she has a big chance. I'm definitely rooting for her.

Q. There's a lot of great players who have left the sport without ever winning a Grand Slam. That was something you worked towards for a long time. How much easier, happier you are, having that on your shelf when you walk away?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I think it's great that I have it. I think it means a lot to me. But I think hadn't it happen, and I left and it wasn't to be, then again, all I can do is really give it my all, push myself as much as I can every day.

At the end of the day I would have been proud regardless.

Q. What's happening in your diary at the end of this tournament? Is it a blank space? Are there things in there? How do you feel about that maybe blank space?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I told David when I retire, I want for us to just chill for a while and do absolutely nothing, maybe go to some cool places, do that. Basically my first six months, I'm more busy than I was when I was on tour.

Every time there's some new fun things that I've always wanted to do, or things I never knew I wanted to do but came up, let me look at my schedule now. Actually my diary is pretty slam packed till probably about the end of May, until the start of June.

Q. What kind of things?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: There's some things I can't really talk about. But I have a couple of fun projects coming up. Also we're working on my RA, the foundation, the health education program that we're doing. Then I'm going to go skiing with the family. We have a couple of girls trips. We have to also try to fit in our honeymoon at some point.

There's a lot of fun things that are coming up. Some of the work things I can't talk about yet.

Q. What was your favorite present from Santa?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Ooh, that's a good one (smiling).

Let me think what I got this year. I got some great things actually. I got a popcorn machine, which I love popcorn. That was a big plus. I think that was one of my favorite things.

Q. What are you thinking about heading into the court?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I don't think too much. I think go out there and just have fun. That's really it. You have a game plan in mind, but in the end of the day just go out and have fun.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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