Former World Number 2 player Agnieszka Radwanska has announced her retirement from tennis at the age of 29, after 13 years on the WTA tour.
The Krakow-born player was a popular figure on the tour and, for six successive years between 2011 and 2016, was voted the WTA’s Fan Favourite Singles Player. Her efforts did not go unnoticed by her country either. Regarded as one of Poland’s most successful athletes ever, in 2013, Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski awarded her the Gold Cross of Merit
After a successful junior career which saw here win the junior titles at both Wimbledon and Paris, she graduated to the WTA Tour in 2007, winning her first tournament in August of that same year, defeating Vera Dushevina in the final of the Nordea Nordic Light Open. 19 more titles were to follow, the last coming at the China Open in 2016.
She did win the WTA Finals in 2015, but, alas, a Grand Slam title proved elusive, the closest she came being her 2012 loss in the Wimbledon final to Serena Williams.
Radwanska superb backhand shot at Wuhan 2017 was voted the shot of the year, which made it five times in a row she had won that award. The Pole was a semifinalist at the Australian Open on twp separate occasions, made it to the quarterfinals of the French Open once, while having reached the fourth round on multiple occasions.
Unfortunately, injuries began to take their toll – she missed a chunk of last season with a foot injury, and the problem flared up again, forcing her to retire from her last tournament which was the WTA Seoul, hosted in September.
The Pole hasn’t played since, and after tumbling down the world rankings to number 75, she has decided to hang up her racket for good. According to Eurosport, she said:
“It is an inoperative case, any surgery will not help. Whether I have high heels or shoes to play, it hurts the same. Simply put my left foot is so crushed from running that it does not work much longer.”
She took to Twitter on Wednesday to announce her retirement, and had a final message for her fans:
“I hope that my tennis matches were the source of emotion and joy for you all.”
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