Belgian tennis pro Xavier Malisse to retire from sport after Australian Open 2014

Another professional tennis player has announced his imminent retirement from the sport.

Belgium’s Xavier Malisse announced that he will be retiring from professional tennis in January 2014 or right after the Australian Open tournament.

This development was first released by the official Twitter account of Belgium Tennis (@Belgium_Tennis).

“Last US Open for Xavier Malisse. Definitive goodbye after the @AustralianOpen 2014.”

Malisse reached a career-high ranking of 19 in the world in 2002. His best Grand Slam performance was at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in 2002 where he reached the semifinals. He lost to eventual runner-up David Nalbandian.

His best doubles Grand Slam performance was winning the French Open title in 2004 with compatriot Olivier Rochus. He won three ATP titles: Delray Beach (2005 and 2007) and the Chennai Open in 2007.

He’s currently ranked 113th in the world and will play against 20th-seed Andreas Seppi of Italy in the opening round of the US Open 2013 which is currently ongoing.