The French Tennis Federation has come under fire for the way it dealt with Caroline Wozniacki. Because she was not given a wildcard by the organizers, Wozniacki’s father and coach have declared that she will not be participating at Roland Garros 2024.
Wozniacki was one of several well-known players who were denied wildcards, including Dominic Thiem, Simona Halep, and Emma Raducanu.
Since Wozniacki is just outside the top 100 in the WTA Rankings, she was eligible to enter qualifiers for the French Open after coming out of retirement last year. However, according to her father and coach, Piotr Wozniacki, they felt disrespected and decided not to enter. Wozniacki also received wildcards for the 2023 US Open and the 2024 Australian Open.
Piotr expressed his remarks in a recent interview and said: “Sure, we could [enter qualifiers] because we have the ranking that allows it. We could have signed up in advance for the qualifiers. But Caroline said that she didn’t work hard all her life and didn’t achieve so much to start like a junior now. At some point in life, however, there should be respect in a sport where a person has meant something. There is no information from the WTA or the ITF, the organizers of Grand Slam tournaments. Caroline told me that it was difficult—if she didn’t get a wildcard to Roland Garros, at most she wouldn’t play in it.”
He added: “She preferred to wait to see how they would respond to her application rather than apply for a qualifier. I support her. And I will tell you that Caroline will not play next year either. We have already decided that. Because there is no point in going into something like this. They don’t take us seriously, so it’s a waste of our efforts. Caroline is not the type of person who considers the qualifiers dishonourable. She can play in the qualifiers. But in the case of Roland, she simply wanted to see if she was respected.”
He concluded his discussion and said: “That’s why she didn’t enter the qualifying rounds, risking losing the tournament at most. She told me, ‘Dad, I’m not going to enter because I’m curious how they will treat me’. And by the time she got the answer, it was too late to apply for the qualifiers. With Wimbledon, on the other hand, the thing is that we are waiting, but we already know what to expect.”
Caroline Wozniacki in 2024
LWWWLWLWLW Currently the world no.117, Caroline played her last match on the 24th of April when she lost to world no.95 Sara Errani 3-6 7-5 7-5 in the 1st round in Madrid (draw).
This season Wozniacki has achieved a 7-8 match record.
Caroline Wozniacki |
| Embed from Getty Images |
