Caroline Wozniacki’s Inner Circle Feels Rory McIlroy’s Divorce Is ‘Karma’

Almost exactly a decade after Rory McIlroy ended his engagement to Caroline Wozniacki over the phone, the tennis star wants to avoid being drawn into his latest drama. On Monday, May 13, McIlroy, 35, filed for divorce from his wife of seven years, Erica Stoll, citing that their marriage was “irretrievably broken.” In the wake of this news, a source told Us Weekly that Wozniacki, 33, “wants no part of his drama.”

McIlroy and Wozniacki, once a high-profile couple, got engaged on New Year’s Eve in 2013, only for McIlroy to call off the engagement less than five months later, right after their wedding invitations were sent out. “Rory was the last straw for Caroline when it came to men,” the source explained. “She always wanted a quiet family life, something under-the-radar.” They added, “That’s not Rory.”

Wozniacki married former NBA All-Star David Lee in June 2019, and they have two children together: daughter Olivia, 2, and son James, 18 months. According to the source, Lee is “a family man who focuses on the kids,” and Wozniacki has “a wonderful life” with him. Friends close to her see McIlroy’s divorce as “karma” for how he treated her.

Reflecting on their split, McIlroy had said, “There is no right way to end a relationship that has been so important to two people. The problem is mine. The wedding invitations made me realize I wasn’t ready for all that marriage entails. I wish Caroline all the happiness she deserves and thank her for the great times we’ve had.”

Days later, it was reported that McIlroy had broken off the relationship through a three-minute phone call, which Wozniacki later confirmed. “I was shocked. I thought at least it would be face-to-face, but there was nothing,” she said in a September 2014 interview with Graham Bensinger. “It was a phone call and I didn’t hear from him again. It was very hard because he made it very public from the start.”

Wozniacki returned to tennis in August 2023 after a two-and-a-half-year break, reaching the Round of 16 at the US Open and the quarterfinals at the BNP Paribas Open in March 2024.