Caroline Wozniacki has accused Danish television pundit Peter Bastiansen of subjecting her to two decades of personal attacks, after the commentator questioned her silence on retirement and labelled a potential return to the Australian Open “a parody.”
The former world No 1, who retired in 2020 after winning 30 WTA titles including the Australian Open crown two years earlier, hit back at Bastiansen on social media following his remarks on Danish outlet B.T.
The 35-year-old alleged that Bastiansen has been “bullying” her for over 20 years and dismissed his authority to comment on her career.
Wozniacki’s original retirement came shortly after her final appearance at the 2020 Australian Open.
Following a three-year break to focus on family life with husband and former NBA player David Lee, the Danish star made a surprise return in 2023.
Her comeback included a fourth-round run at the US Open that year, another in 2024, and a quarter-final showing at Indian Wells.
However, she has not competed since losing to Beatriz Haddad Maia at last year’s US Open and has since welcomed her third child, Max, in July.
In his comments to B.T., Bastiansen criticised Wozniacki for not publicly clarifying her future, claiming it made little sense to delay an announcement.
Five tennis facts every fan should know | GETTY/PA“I can’t understand why she doesn’t announce it,” he said.
“She’s never, ever coming back to top-level tennis. That ship has sailed.
“Why doesn’t she just say it? There’s nothing wrong or unnatural about that. All great sports stars make such announcements.”
Bastiansen went further, suggesting her potential inclusion in the Australian Open draw would undermine the tournament.
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Caroline Wozniacki previously won the Australian Open in 2018
|GETTY
“It would be a parody if she did,” he said.
“It would be deeply unserious. I can’t see why the organisers would even bother to give her a wildcard.”
Wozniacki responded forcefully via Instagram, posting a screenshot of the article alongside a blistering rebuttal.
“It’s now been more than 20 years that Peter Bastiansen has bullied me and attacked me personally in the media, talking about things he doesn’t understand,” she wrote.
Caroline Wozniacki has been enjoying her time away from the tennis court
|“Peter, you’re a clown, and as a so-called ‘tennis expert,’ you should know the rules. It can be hard to keep track of them when you’ve never played at a high level yourself.”
She also corrected what she described as factual inaccuracies in Bastiansen’s analysis, explaining that her frozen world ranking means she would not require a wildcard to enter major tournaments.
“I have a frozen ranking of world No.71, which means I don’t need wildcards to enter the big tournaments,” she added.
“After many years of hard training and top-level tennis, I have the right to do what’s best for my family.
“I don’t understand why TV 2, B.T., and other media outlets keep using his quotes when there are many far better experts in Denmark.”
When approached for comment, Bastiansen told B.T. he had no intention of entering a “war of words” with Wozniacki.
Meanwhile, the Danish star is currently enjoying her time away from the court.
She recently took to Instagram to share pictures alongside her husband, David Lee.
The pair married in 2019 and have since had three children together: Olivia, James and Max.