SAN DIEGO — Count Caroline Wozniacki among all those mothers who re-enter the workforce, striving to find that tricky balance between parenting and the things that bring in a paycheck.

Wozniacki, 33, stepped away from professional tennis for three and a half years. She turned pro at 15 and was ranked No. 1 in the world for 71 weeks, two more than Venus Williams, Tracy Austin, Kim Clijsters and Jennifer Capriati combined.

It was her life until, well, life came along.

Despite an enormous amount of winning, including the Australia Open title in 2018, Wozniacki wanted children. The racket gathered dust as she and former NBA-playing husband David Lee welcomed a precocious daughter named Olivia and son James.

"Olivia loves to be on the tennis court," said Wozniacki, explaining how her two worlds overlapped. "One day in Australia, I woke up Olivia in the morning and said, 'Mommy has to go practice.' She looks at me and says, 'But why?' I said, 'I'm trying to get better at tennis. Mommy wants to win a lot more.'

"She said, 'Well, I don't need to practice. I'm already really good.' Pretty funny for a 2-year-old."

Tennis might have been shelved, but never forgotten. The fire reignited, which is why Wozniacki accepted a wild-card invitation to play in the Cymbiotika San Diego Open, a WTA 500 event that roars to life Feb. 24 at the Barnes Tennis Center.

Wozniacki played a pair of WTA events last year to begin the road back. She made a fourth-round run at the US Open, where she has been a two-time finalist. She beat world-No. 55 Magda Linette in the first round of the most recent Australian Open.

Mom had more left in the tank. More to chase. More to prove.

"It was great to be back," Wozniacki said of the Open. "The US Open always has been a very special tournament for me. I feel comfortable. I've done well there. Losing to the eventual champion (Coco Gauff) gave me the belief I'm moving in the right direction."

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