The first – and only – female tennis player across all of Scandinavia to rank as world number one, Danish champion Caroline Wozniacki’s strength lies in both her on-court prowess and her off-court resilience. Returning from retirement with two young children in tow, while overcoming a debilitating chronic diagnosis, Wozniacki is back in force as she represents Denmark at Wimbledon and the Paris Olympics. But first, she’s serving glamour as she makes her Vogue Scandinavia debut as our latest digital cover star
In strategic tennis terminology there is a technique called ‘counter-punching’. It refers to those who play a defensive game, showing great levels of endurance and determination to ultimately outmanoeuvre their opponent. In her game play, Danish star Caroline Wozniacki has been categorised as a ‘counter-puncher’. But it’s an apt description of Wozniacki off-court as well, especially as she navigates her current comeback era. Newly returning from retirement in her 30s as a mother of two, while combating a chronic disease, Wozniacki is ‘counter-punching’ all that life throws at her.
Rewind to early 2018 and Wozniacki – the first and only Scandinavian female tennis player to rank as the WTA world number one, a title held for a total of 71 weeks – is laying flat on her back in a Melbourne stadium. She had just defeated Romanian star Simona Halep in the Australian Open final, making her the first Dane to ever secure a major singles title. As Wozniacki shed tears, the crowd serenaded her with Neil Diamond’s ‘Sweet Caroline’ (naturally bellowing the “bam, bam, bam” trumpet notes, too).