Caroline Wozniacki was left in tears after the Dane’s glittering tennis career ended in a third-round defeat at the Australian Open on Friday. The former world No 1, who announced in December that this would be her final tournament, lost 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 to lower-ranked Ons Jabeur of Tunisia.
The unseeded 29-year-old Wozniacki brings the curtain down on a career that saw her win 30 WTA titles, with her sole Grand Slam triumph coming in 2018 at Melbourne Park. She was in tears when the end came at the hands of 78th-ranked Jabeur and just under two hours later, her eyes were still red and puffy as she arrived at her post-match press conference.
“I was told there are tissues here. I see the tissues in case I need them, I think I’m cried out,” said Wozniacki, who was given a round of applause by reporters.
She was also given a generous reception by Melbourne Arena crowd after hitting her last shot in tennis – “I finished my career with a forehand error. Those are the things I’ve been working on my whole career,” she joked to the crowd. Choking back tears, Wozniacki, now ranked 36, added: “Guess this is just how it was meant to be.”
Here’s how Twitter reacted to Wozniacki’s farewell:
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