Anett Kontaveit is a former World No.2 in women’s singles – she is set to retire (retirement) after Wimbledon 2023

Estonian Tennis star Anett Kontaveit has announced that she will retire from professional Tennis after Wimbledon 2023. This comes across as a shocking piece of news for the Tennis fraternity as Kontaveit is only 27. The former World No.2 has won six WTA tour titles in her professional career till date and barring a miracle in London next month, the figure is likely to stay the same when she retires from the sport.

Kontaveit revealed that her degenerative back condition has forced her to take this decision. She has been struggling with back injuries since 2022 and it only seems to get worse with time despite the best efforts of her medical team. Kontaveit reached her career-best ranking of No.2 in 2022 but soon had a drastic fall as a result of missing a number of tournaments due to injuries. She is currently ranked World No.82 in WTA women’s singles.

In her official statement, Kontaveit stated: “After several doctor’s visits and consultations with my medical team, I have been advised that I have lumbar disc degeneration in my back. This does not allow for full-scale training or continued competition. Therefore, it is impossible to continue at the top level in such a highly competitive field.” It is indeed a sad end to what was turning out to be a very promising career.

WTA stars are retiring at early ages – is a trend emerging in women’s tennis?

Kontaveit (27) is not the only WTA star to have retired at such a young age. Ashleigh Barty, who retired at the age of 25 is another example from the recent past. Barty retired from Tennis in March, 2022 after winning the Australian Open.

She revealed her decision of retiring in a recorded video where she was having a conversation with former doubles partner Casey Dellacqua. The announcement came across as a huge shock to the tennis community especially since Barty was in her peak and was the reigning Wimbledon and Australian Open Champion.

Barty stated that she retired because she believes “she has nothing more to offer to the sport”. Another example is Naomi Osaka. While Osaka has not retired, she has been on an indefinite break soon after achieving immense success. The former World No.1 took a six-month-long break from Tennis in 2021-22 citing mental health issues and she is now set to miss the whole of 2023 due to pregnancy. Osaka is just 25 and a four-time Grand Slam Champion but these breaks at such an early age are certainly not doing her any good.

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