Ana Ivanovic has revealed that she is retiring from professional tennis twenty-four hours after teasing her 1.23 million Twitter followers with news of an "important" announcement.
In a two-minute video streamed on her official Facebook page, the 29-year-old said hanging up her racket was a "difficult decision" to make.
"There is no other way to say it -- I've decided to retire from professional tennis. It has been a difficult decision but there is so much to celebrate. I began dreaming of tennis when I was five (years old) when I saw Monica Seles playing on TV..." the Serbian said "I've seen the heights I've never dreamed of achieving -- 15 WTA titles, (reached) three grand slam finals, a Fed Cup final and I've played so many memorable matches. Not bad for a tiny slip of a girl from Serbia!"
In a two-minute video streamed on her official Facebook page, the 29-year-old said hanging up her racket was a "difficult decision" to make.
"There is no other way to say it -- I've decided to retire from professional tennis. It has been a difficult decision but there is so much to celebrate. I began dreaming of tennis when I was five (years old) when I saw Monica Seles playing on TV..." the Serbian said "I've seen the heights I've never dreamed of achieving -- 15 WTA titles, (reached) three grand slam finals, a Fed Cup final and I've played so many memorable matches. Not bad for a tiny slip of a girl from Serbia!"
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| ANA IVANOVIC DURING THE CHINESE OPEN |
Ivanovic won her first and only grand slam singles title in 2008, beating Russia's Dinara Safina in the French Open final -- the victory, and an Australian Open final appearance earlier that year, sent her to the top of the women's rankings.
Since turning pro in 2003, Ivanovic has earned $15.5 million in on-court prize money, according the the WTA website. With her substantial sponsorship revenue, she was eighth on Forbes' highest-paid female athletes list for 2016 despite slumping to 63rd in the rankings.
Since turning pro in 2003, Ivanovic has earned $15.5 million in on-court prize money, according the the WTA website. With her substantial sponsorship revenue, she was eighth on Forbes' highest-paid female athletes list for 2016 despite slumping to 63rd in the rankings.