Caroline Wozniacki handed Australian Open wildcard

Caroline Wozniacki's comeback will continue at the 2024 Australian Open after she 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," Wozniacki told The AO Show podcast.

"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.

"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."

Meanwhile, British hopeful Emma Raducanu has missed out on the initial batch of wildcards. Raducanu has a protected ranking of 103 due to her lengthy absence from the tour following operations on both wrists and one ankle but that is not currently high enough to secure entry to next month's grand slam tournament.

The 21-year-old's status as a former slam champion and one of the most high-profile female players in the sport counts in her favour but most wild cards usually go to home players.

If Raducanu is not given a wild card, and there are not sufficient withdrawals among higher-ranked players to secure her place, she will have to go through qualifying - the avenue by which she sensationally triumphed at the US Open in 2021.

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