As women's tennis basks at the prospect of several teenage breakthroughs, the veterans are on their way to exit the stage.
Two of the most shocking retirements on the WTA tour in the past two years have most certainly been those of Ashleigh Barty, who quit at the top of her game at the age of 25, and Anett Kontaveit at the age of 27 due to a chronic back injury.
While injuries have been the major cause of early or late retirements, other factors have also played a part, like mental health struggles, pregnancy, and loss of motivation. In this article, we have highlighted five names, some of which embody those attributes.
5. Alize Cornet
An undisputed warrior of the sport, even the tireless Alize Cornet is now on her last legs as a pro. Outside the world's Top 100 and predominantly playing on the lower tiers of women's tennis, Cornet has been frank about her tennis aspirations.
She has admitted that she no longer pushes her body to the same boundaries as 15 years ago and has no idea how her body will respond to another year of traveling and playing.
But her longevity is admirable. Cornet owns the record for the most consecutive Grand Slam main draw appearances on the WTA tour with 67 and it is highly unlikely anyone from the current crop will beat it anytime soon.
4. Garbine Muguruza
A two-time Grand Slam champion and a former World No. 1, it feels like Garbine Mugurza still has much to give on the women's circuit. But tennis is secondary for the Spaniard these days. She turned 30 last October and is currently in the midst of wedding plans later this year.
Muguruza has not formally retired from tennis but has stated she has "no intention" of picking up a racket. Tennis fans believe they have seen the last of the Spaniard, and maybe that long-awaited announcement will come in 2024.
3. Simona Halep
Simona Halep's prospects of playing tennis again are almost nonexistent. The Romanian star was infamously slapped with a four-year doping ban by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) for violating the anti-doping regulations.
It means the next time we might see Halep back in action will be in October 2026, when she'll be 35. Unless the Court of Arbitration for Sport can overturn the ban (hearing scheduled for February 2024) and probably reduce her suspension, Halep has hinted she may be forced into retirement while serving the punishment.
2. Venus Williams
Venus Williams trumps the rest of the players in this list regarding age, but she's the toughest to predict. That is because the American veteran keeps an incredibly low profile and tends to turn a blind eye to retirement talk either on social media or in press conferences.
The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion turns 44 in June and has previously stated that she intends to become the first player to play well into her 50s at tour level, even though people took those words with a grain of salt. Venus is targeting a March return in 2024, but injuries have overwhelmed her, and she might finally give in.
1. Petra Kvitova
If you are late to the news, Petra Kvitova recently shared the pleasant news of her pregnancy on New Year's Day and officially withdrew from the 2024 Australian Open. She has not set a timeline on when she will return, but there is growing belief it may not happen.
Kvitova turns 34 in March and will certainly write off her 2024 season. It is not improbable that she could still rejoin the tour in early 2025, but whether that will be the wisest thing to do at 35 will weigh heavily on her mind. The two-time Wimbledon champion ranks as the likeliest on our list to retire in 2024.
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