Many athletes dedicate their lives to the aim of getting to the top of their chosen sport, so perhaps it’s no great surprise when some retire unexpectedly citing burnout or a lack of motivation as the contributory factors.
But does that competitive spirit really ever go away? Maybe that explains why so many tennis stars return to the ATP and WTA tours after a spell away – albeit with mixed results.
Caroline Wozniacki is the latest to make a retirement U-turn, but can the Dane join the ranks of successful comebacks?
Winning Ways
If Wozniacki continues to rack up impressive results, she will look ahead to 2024 with relish. A two-time French Open quarter-finalist, the 33-year-old will be confident of improving on her excellent record on the clay at Roland Garros – even if the Betfair odds for tennis for the French Open confirm the outstanding strength in depth of women’s tennis right now, highlighting the favouritism of the likes of Aryna Sabalenka (15/2), Karolína Muchová (10/1) and Ons Jabeur (11/1).
Wozniacki won her first match back as a professional tennis player at the Canadian Open in August, beating Kimberly Birrell in straight sets in Montreal. She admitted she was ‘a little rusty’ – understandably so, given that she’s not played a competitive match since 2020 – but faced few alarms against the Australian.
Having been handed a wildcard for the US Open, Wozniacki will be hoping to return to the levels that previously saw her reach two finals at Flushing Meadows during her first ‘career’. But is there a precedent for retired tennis stars to come back and hit the heights once again?
Björn Bjorg
Even for a great like Björn Bjorg, a nine-year hiatus from the top level of tennis proved too much and he was a shadow of his former self in his ‘second career.’
The Swede won eleven Grand Slam titles, including five straight Wimbledon championships and four consecutive French Opens, in a reign of terror during the 1970s and into the eighties.
He then shocked the world when he retired at the age of 26, citing ‘burnout’. Bjorg would launch his own fashion and sportswear labels, enjoying success around the world.
But the tennis itch wouldn’t go away, so the Swedish ace returned to the professional ranks in 1991 at the age of 35. He would fail to win a single match, retiring permanently in 1993.
Martina Navratilova
Martina Navratilova has a CV that most tennis players can only dream of: 18 singles major titles, 31 doubles and ten mixed doubles Grand Slams. She was also the number one ranked player in the world for more than six years consecutively.
But even the brilliant left-hander couldn’t halt the march of time, so in 1990 she announced her retirement from tennis.
However, she would return in 2000 predominantly as a doubles player, although her appearance in the women’s singles at Wimbledon in 2004 brought with it a first-round victory – making her the oldest Grand Slam match winner in tennis history.
Kim Clijsters
Returning from retirement once is one thing, but twice? Kim Clijsters evidently felt like she had unfinished business in the sport, making a U-turn on her retirement plans in both 2009 and 2020.
She initially hung up her racket aged just 23 – a sole US Open her only Grand Slam glory, before an incredible return and renaissance saw her bag two more US Open titles and an Australian Open crown between 2009 and 2012.
We were thrilled to see Kim Clijsters return to the US Open one final time in 2020.
Best of luck, @Clijsterskim! 💙 pic.twitter.com/dRAOcNyLrI
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) April 12, 2022
A third bite of the cherry came in 2020, albeit with less success, with Clijsters officially retiring in 2022 for the final time.
So will Wozniacki enjoy the same level of success as the Belgian post-retirement?
