Caroline Wozniacki recently opened up about how playing doubles with Venus Williams led to Serena Williams welcoming her into the Williams family. Wozniacki and the younger Williams faced each other 11 times on the WTA Tour, with the American winning 10 of those matches. The only victory the Dane secured against Williams was in the quarterfinals of the 2012 Miami Open.
Wozniacki turned pro in 2005 and has won one Grand Slam title, the 2018 Australian Open, where she triumphed over Simona Halep in the final. She won the 2017 WTA Finals and has also held the World No. 1 singles ranking, among many other achievements. She initially retired from professional tennis after the 2020 Australian Open, but made a comeback in 2023.
Caroline Wozniacki Reveals Playing Doubles With Venus Williams
In a recent episode of the “Nothing Major Show” podcast, Wozniacki recalled how her friendship with Williams developed. She noted that when she joined the tour, Venus took her “under her wing,” which was a significant reason behind her bond with the 23-time Grand Slam champion.
“Venus really took me under her wing, and she is probably the main reason why Serena and I became friends. Because when I must have been 17, I played an exhibition in Hong Kong, and I ended up being teamed with Venus in doubles. Then, after that, I think Venus was like, ‘Oh, this girl plays pretty well,’ and asked me if I would play a doubles tournament with her in Doha, and I did,” Wozniacki said.
Wozniacki mentioned that playing doubles with Venus in Hong Kong and at the 2008 Qatar Open was a turning point. Upon meeting her, Williams welcomed Wozniacki into the “family.”
“And Serena was like, ‘Venus never plays with anyone else. Who is this girl you’re playing with?’ And so she came up to me. We had a little conversation. She goes, ‘Okay, I see it now. I get it. All right. Welcome to the family,'” she added.
Meanwhile, Serena won 39 Grand Slam titles: 23 in singles, including seven titles each at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, six at the US Open, and three at the French Open. She claimed 14 titles in doubles alongside her sister, Venus, and also claimed two major mixed doubles titles, both achieved while partnering with Max Mirnyi.
Williams was ranked World No. 1 in both singles and doubles on the WTA Tour and won Olympic medals for her country among her many accolades. She retired from professional tennis in 2022, following her participation in the US Open.
