Caroline Wozniacki: "I tried to explain to Olivia I was going to play a match, and she goes, 'Okay, Mama, I have a wish, I wish you win'"
Caroline Wozniacki's second innings as a tennis player could not have gotten off to a better start as the Dane downed Kimberly Birrell in straight sets to kick off her 2023 Canadian Open campaign.
Tuesday's 6-2, 6-2 win against the Australian came three years after Wozniacki's previous match as a tennis professional, at the 2020 Australian Open. Now a mother of two, the former World No. 1 will next take on Marketa Vondrousova in the second round in Montreal.
Speaking at her post-match press conference, the 33-year-old shed light on adjusting to life on tour as a mother, stating that her plan was to have breakfast with her children in the morning and then simply tell them she has to go to "work."
That way, she could be back by the time they woke up from their afternoon naps, at which point she could join them and carry on with their day as usual.
"I was, like, you know what, I'll wake up half an hour early and have breakfast with them and just have a normal morning. That was kind of, you know, one where I was -- I didn't even think about it because normally when I practice, I wake up, I have breakfast with them, and then I say, Okay, Mama has to go to work."
"Then I go for my hours of training. When they wake up from their nap in the afternoon, I'm back and we have playdates and do whatever," Caroline Wozniacki said.
On the morning of her clash against Birrell, however, it felt different to Wozniacki, who added that it was "awesome" to see the smile on her kids' faces when they realized their mother did not have to leave for work as always in the morning.
The former World No. 1 further revealed that she tried to explain to her eldest child - two-year-old Olivia - that she was going to play a match that evening, prompting a rather unexpected response from the toddler.
"But, yeah, that was a little different this morning. I was just like, wow, wait, I'm not practicing at 9 o'clock, I'm not practicing at 9:30. That was fun, but it was also awesome just seeing their smile," Caroline Wozniacki said.
"And I tried to explain to Olivia I was going to play a match, and she goes: Okay, Mama, I have a wish. I wish you win. I was, like, where does she get that from? That was pretty cool. Just different," she added.
"I don't understand how James is the same size as Olivia at this point, you know?" - Caroline Wozniacki
Caroline Wozniacki asserted in the press conference that she loved being a parent and a mother, calling it the "greatest gift." As a result, she tried to enjoy every moment with her children, even if she could not understand how her son James, who was born just last year, was already as big as her daughter Olivia.
"I just love it. I love being a parent. I love being a mom. It's the greatest gift. So I try and just enjoy every moment because the kids are growing up so fast. It's crazy. I don't understand how James is the same size as Olivia at this point, you know?" Caroline Wozniacki said.
Wozniacki emphasized that she did not want to miss a single moment of her children's lives, remarking:
"It's just all of a sudden. I look at them and go, wow, I'm there every day, but still, it just baffles me at times how quickly they grow up, so I don't want to miss it."