Danish tennis ace Caroline Wozniacki has opened up on her battle with crippling arthritis, revealing the ordeals she faced as she struggled to move before getting the proper diagnosis from doctors ahead of her eventual retirement.
The 30-time title winner revealed that the acute pain she suffered became intolerable as her condition continued its progression, preventing her from getting to her feet without help from her husband.
The ordeal prompted the 2018 Australian Open champion player to end her sporting career the following year at the age of just 29.
“I was at the peak of my career in 2018 when I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis,” Wozniacki told Bild.
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“I’d won the Australian Open earlier that year. It should have been my golden year.
“In the run-up to the US Open, I started feeling pain in my joints, constant fatigue and other unexplained symptoms. I lost games that I should have won.”
Wozniacki said that the sudden U-turn in her career had made her re-evaluate life and decide to start offering support to other people with chronic inflammatory problems.
“One day, I woke up in such severe pain that my husband had to drag me out of bed. I just couldn’t move my body.
“I immediately sought medical treatment and that was the beginning of my journey to diagnosis.”
“I couldn’t lift my arms, and my shoulders, elbows, hands, and feet hurt,” she explained. “I found it difficult to brush my hair and get out of bed.
Despite being a top-class athlete with access to the best medical care, she needed several months to get the correct diagnosis.
The Dane now aims to be a positive role model for those with similar health conditions.
