Russia’s former world number five player Anna Chakvetadze has formally announced her retirement from professional tennis at the young age of 26. The former US Open semifinalist said that the main reason why she’s decided to leave competitive tennis was due to chronic back injuries.
Chakvetadze amassed nearly £2.5 million in prize money in a decade of professional tennis. She won eight singles title at the WTA Tour and her best Grand Slam run was a semifinal finish at the US Open in 2007. She also played in two Fed Cups with her home nation. She reached a career-high ranking of number five in September 2007. She’s currently ranked 577.
“I no longer see myself in professional tennis so I am ready to say that may career is over,” Chakvetadze said in an interview with Russia’s Sport Express daily.
“Of course, this was a difficult decision and I thought hard about it but now it is finally taken. I understood that the point of return to tennis was behind me. I have a chronic back injury. So I took the decision to stop and start a new life.”
