Tennis Star Caroline Wozniacki Says She Has Rheumatoid Arthritis—And Will Retire in 2020
Grand Slam champion Caroline Wozniacki announced that she will be retiring from professional tennis after the Australian Open in January.
In her post, the 29-year-old also revealed that she has rheumatoid arthritis, but the end of her tennis career has “nothing to do” with her health.
Doctors explain what rheumatoid arthritis, the symptoms to know, and how the condition can impact a person’s daily life
Caroline Wozniacki just made a huge announcement to her fans: She’s retiring from professional tennis. The Grand Slam champion, who has played professionally since she was 15, shared the news in an emotional Instagram post.
“I’ve accomplished everything I could ever dream of on the court,” she wrote. “I’ve always told myself, when the time comes, that there are things away from tennis that I want to do more, then it’s time to be done.”
Wozniacki said she’s “realized that there is a lot more in life that I’d like to accomplish off the court.” Among other things, she said she wants to start a family with her new husband and help raise awareness about rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a disease she was recently diagnosed with.
Wozniacki said that she plans to retire after the Australian Open in January. “This has nothing to do with my health and this isn’t a goodbye, I look forward to sharing my exciting journey ahead with all of you!” she said.
A post shared by Caroline Wozniacki (@carowozniacki) on Dec 6, 2019 at 5:31am PST
The 29-year-old also told People that her rheumatoid arthritis isn’t “hindering” her. “It makes some things more challenging, but I feel great in the day-to-day. I feel like I can do anything, and I’ve won some of my biggest titles of my career with this illness,” she said. “I never wanted to use RA as an excuse for anything.”
What is rheumatoid arthritis, again?
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that causes a person’s immune system to attack their joints by mistake. That causes pain and swelling, according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). It’s not unusual for someone to be diagnosed with this when they’re an adult: The ACR says it’s usually diagnosed between the ages of 30 and 50.
Rheumatoid arthritis is different from osteoarthritis, which causes joint inflammation that usually comes from the wear and tear of age. Rheumatoid arthritis impacts the lining of a person’s joints, and can even impact the skin, cause inflammation in the lungs and whites of the eyes, lead to plaque buildup in the heart, and damage the blood vessels, the Arthritis Foundation says.
How can rheumatoid arthritis impact your daily life?
RA can definitely make everyday tasks difficult, depending on the severity of the condition. “You can have a lot of pain and swelling in your joints—that can be a few joints or a lot of joints, and it can be debilitating,” says Sadia Khan, M.D., a rheumatologist at Baltimore’s Mercy Medical Center.
Symptoms can look different in everyone, though. “Some cases are mild and some are very aggressive,” says Timothy Gibson, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon and medical director of the MemorialCare Joint Replacement Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, Calif. “You can have chronic pain, swelling, and stiffness, commonly of the hips, knees, wrists, and fingers,” he says.
People with rheumatoid arthritis usually will feel stiff at the end of the day—typically in whatever joint was used rigorously—if they’re having symptoms, Dr. Khan says. So, if you went for a run, your knees and ankles might feel uncomfortable and swollen afterward.
Certain treatments for the condition can also have side effects. Medications that work to suppress the immune system (and tamp down on inflammation) can make a person more prone to infection, Dr. Gibson points out. And, even though it’s not discussed a lot, rheumatoid arthritis can also cause fatigue, Dr. Khan says.
Does rheumatoid arthritis every go away?
There are a lot of medications available to help minimize uncomfortable symptoms, Dr. Khan says. The catch: You have take lifelong doses to keep things under control.
Medications generally include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen and aspirin to tamp down on pain and inflammation, corticosteroid medications to tackle inflammation, and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) to try to change the course of the disease, the Arthritis Foundation says.
“If we can find the right medication for you, we can achieve remission, meaning no pain and stiffness,” Dr. Khan says. “We can achieve that in the vast majority of our patients.”
As for Wozniacki? She’s ready to tell the world about her experience. “We’re launching a new health education campaign centered around rheumatoid arthritis,” she told People. “I felt that it was important that I use my platform to share my story and show that anything is possible, regardless of RA.”
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