Wozniacki diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis

Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark / AFP PHOTO

Wozniacki, who ended her long wait for a Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January this year, made the announcement at her presser. “In the beginning it was a shock. You just feel like you’re the fittest athlete out there, or that’s in my head, that’s what I’m known for, and all of a sudden you have this to work with.

The 28-year-old Dane, despite suffering with the disease, won China Open without the loss of a set earlier this month, and stated how much of an effect the victory had on her. “I think [winning the China Open] meant so much to me,” she said. “I think you obviously start asking yourself questions: What does this mean? Does it mean I can’t get in as great of shape as I was before? Winning was huge. It also gave me the belief that nothing is going to set me back. I’m going to work with this and this is how it is, and I can do anything.”

With the curtain now drawn on her season, Wozniacki will now set her sights on better management of the condition while also looking forward to becoming a role model for others with the condition. “I know there are a lot of people in the world that are fighting with this, and hopefully I can be someone they can look up to and say that if I can do this, then they can too. And you just kind of have to get together and pull each other up.”