Annette Kontaveit made a shocking and unexpected announcement on Tuesday: At just 27 years old, she will retire from professional tennis.
Kontaveit revealed in her Instagram post that she has been diagnosed with lumbar disc degeneration in her back, which prevents her from training and playing at a level that would allow her to seriously compete with other talents on the tour. This led her to make the difficult decision to end her competitive career after a final defeat at Wimbledon in July.
Kontaveit, who hails from the small country of Estonia, is currently ranked 79 in the world after a first-round exit at the French Open, but was ranked second in the world as recently as last year. She won six WTA titles over the course of her career, as well as 11 ITA singles titles. But she has always had problems at the major tournaments – her best result in any of them being a trip to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in 2020.
No athlete wants to be forced to retire because of an injury. They all prefer to make the decision when they are ready and get out on their own terms. Kontaveit did not get that option, but at Wimbledon she will have a chance to say goodbye to the match that “gave me and taught me so much”.
And if some of the comments on her Instagram post are any indication, she’ll have no shortage of well-wishers ready to give her a sweet goodbye. American Sloane Stephens is just one of the guys who left an honest comment on Kontaveit’s Insta post.
“Anett ❤️ I’m going to Estonia now to visit you!! I will miss you so much, you have no idea! I know your next chapter is going to be amazing and I can’t wait to see what you do next!! I can’t wait to give you the biggest hug in Wimpy! I love you”
“Coffee ninja. Web fan. Hipster-friendly beer enthusiast. Professional creator.”