Former world No.1 and AO 2018 champion Caroline Wozniacki, plus six Aussie talents, have been awarded main-draw wildcards for Australian Open 2024.
Caroline Wozniacki’s comeback will continue at Australian Open 2024 after the former world No.1 was awarded a main-draw wildcard.
Wozniacki, who won the title at Melbourne Park in 2018, was one of seven players announced on Tuesday as wildcard recipients for the year’s first Grand Slam event.
The other six are talented Australians Kimberly Birrell, Olivia Gadecki, Taylah Preston, James Duckworth, Marc Polmans and Adam Walton – all players trending up after excellent results in 2023.
The 2018 champion Wozniacki has revealed her excitement of returning to Australia for the first time in four years, on the Australian Open’s official podcast.
The 33-year-old mother of two has told The AO Show she’s planning to bring her whole family — including children Olivia (2) and James (1) — to Melbourne, from the Miami base she shares with husband, former NBA star David Lee.
After three-and-a-half years away, Wozniacki made an exciting comeback to tennis in August 2023. She played in Montreal and Cincinnati before making her Grand Slam return at the US Open, where she fell to eventual champion Coco Gauff in the fourth round.
“I have so many wonderful memories of Melbourne, and of course winning the Australian Open is an all-time career highlight,” said Wozniacki, who initially retired at AO 2020.
“Melbourne’s one of my most favourite cities in the world, and I can’t wait to share it with my family and my kids,” Wozniacki told The AO Show podcast.
“It’s obviously a tournament I feel extremely comfortable at. I love the balls, I love the court, and I love the fans.
“And I hope that I get a nice welcome back when I see everyone there - and I’m sure I will; it really is a special place.
“I’m truly grateful to everyone for the wildcard and having the opportunity to compete again at the AO in January.”
Joining Wozniacki in the women’s singles draw will be a trio of rising Australian stars in Birrell, Gadecki and Preston.
After several injury struggles, Birrell made a heart-warming top-100 debut in 2023 and returns to a tournament that has delivered her plenty of success.
She advanced to the third round at AO 2019 – her best major result– and in 2023 won her first Grand Slam match in four years by upsetting 31st seed Kaia Kanepi.
“It’s a huge honour to receive a main-draw wildcard. There’s no better feeling as an Australian than playing at Melbourne Park at our home Grand Slam,” Birrell said.
“I’m so grateful for the opportunity and hope I can make everyone proud during the summer of tennis.”
AO 2023 was also a launchpad for Gadecki, who broke through for her first Grand Slam match win by beating Polina Kudermetova.
She began the season ranked outside the top 200 but soared to world No.127 after reaching six finals on the ITF circuit and winning more than 50 matches.
“I’m so grateful for the opportunity that Tennis Australia has given me. I can’t wait to kick start the year playing in front of a home crowd,” the 21-year-old said.
At just 18, Preston is the youngest of the Aussie wildcard recipients.
The powerful ball-striker from Perth, ranked world No.836 in April, soared towards the top 200 after a brilliant transition to the pro tour, where she won four trophies – the most recent a 60K Australian Pro Tour title in Brisbane in November.
“I’ve dreamed of playing the Australian Open since I first started playing tennis so to be given this opportunity is amazing and I am extremely grateful and excited,” said Preston, who cracked the world’s junior top 10 in 2022.
“I’m working hard on and off the court to prepare and I can’t wait to get out on court and play.”
Duckworth stormed home late in the season by winning back-to-back ATP Challenger events in Shenzhen and Playford, then reaching the final in Drummondville.
The former world No.49 returned to within striking distance of the top 100 after winning 16 of his final 18 matches for the year.
“I’m very excited to be back playing the Australian Open again. It’s my favourite tournament of the year. I have so many great memories playing in Melbourne,” Duckworth said.
“I felt like I was starting to gain some momentum towards the end of the year, and I’m looking forward to building on that for the Australian summer.”
Polmans enjoyed a resurgent 2023 season, which he began outside the top 300 and ended at world No.150.
The 26-year-old Victorian, who missed a large chunk of 2022 with injury, won 50 singles matches across all professional levels and reached two ATP Challenger finals late in the season.
“After being off the tour for most of 2022, I have pushed really hard to get back on track in 2023 so this wildcard into the Australian Open is the perfect start for 2024,” said Polmans, who reached the second round at AO 2020.
“Thank you to Tennis Australia for the opportunity and I intend to take full advantage of it.”
MORE: All Abilities Day at AO 2024 truly Open for All
In his first full season on tour, Walton peaked at world No.174 in October – a rise of nearly 300 places in less than 12 months.
The 24-year-old, who earned a Masters degree in 2022 after five seasons of college tennis at the University of Tennessee, won 55 matches in a breakout 2023.
Highlights included his first ATP Challenger title in Cary, North Carolina, as well as two ITF Futures titles.
Listen to the full interview with Caroline Wozniacki on The AO Show, the official podcast of the Australian Open, in Episode 62 dropping on Thursday 7 December at 4PM AEDT. Teaser video here.