Caroline Wozniacki thrilled ahead of Australian Open return

Nearly four years ago, the Dane was knocked out of the third round Down Under and announced her retirement shortly after.

Now, two children and 42 months on the sideline later, she finds herself preparing for a return to the scene of her solitary grand slam triumph. In 2018, Wozniacki defeated Simona Halep in a final for the ages to claim her maiden major title.

In August, a 33-year-old Woznicaki returned to the WTA Tour and some positive results saw her handed a wildcard to the US Open. In New York, she proved she still has what it takes, beating the likes of Petra Pliskova and Jennifer Brady to reach the Round of 16.

Now, the Australian Open has followed suit, also handing her a wild card.

"It's really incredible that I get another chance of competing in Australia," she said during an interview on this week's episode of The AO Show podcast.

"I really thought when I retired in 2020 that that was going to be my last tournament, my last match.

"There was a reason why I decided to (retire) in Australia, is because it's so special to me. I feel I have so much support there, I obviously won my first Grand Slam there, and it's just the happy Slam.

"But, lo and behold, three years later, I realised I still have something to give to the sport, and my passion's still there, and I feel like I'm still young enough to give it one last try.

"I can't believe that it's only five weeks away. It feels like after the US Open I had so much time to prepare, and all of a sudden it's really sneaking up on me. I'm just so excited to be back."

Reflecting on the US Open, Wozniacki admitted she had chances to upset Coco Guaff in that Round of 16 tie.

"I felt like I was close to win that match, but I still just missed a couple of things," said the former world number one, who went down 3-6 6-3 6-1.

"I felt, in my game and physically, where I was like, I know where I need to go, I know where I am, I know where I need and want to be to be able to beat the best players in the world on a consistent basis, and that's I think very encouraging that I wasn't very far away.

"I'm very confident and comfortable coming into this new season, having played those three tournaments prior, and just knowing that my game is great, and now physically I just needed to step it up a little bit more."

READ MORE: Caroline Wozniacki handed Australian Open wildcard