Former British No. 1 Johanna Konta announces retirement from professional tennis at age of 30
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/placeholder/eurosport_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
Updated 01/12/2021 at 11:30 GMT
Konta achieved a career high ranking of world number four and reached the semi-finals at three of the four Grand Slams, including Wimbledon in 2017, when she became the first British woman to reach the last four in 39 years. Born in Sydney, Konta settled in England as a teenager and turned professional in 2008.
Konta on injury: It was like an out-of-body experience
Johanna Konta has announced her retirement from professional tennis at the age of 30.
The former British number one, a position she held for nearly six consecutive years, announced her decision to bow out of the sport on social media, saying she was "grateful" for her career.
Konta reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon, becoming the first British woman to make the last four on the grass courts in 39 years.
She achieved a career high ranking of fourth in the world.
"Grateful - this is the word that I’ve probably used the most during my career, and is the word that I feel explains it best at the end. My playing career has come to an end, and I am so incredibly grateful for the career that it turned out to be,” Konta wrote in a statement.
“All the evidence pointed towards me not ‘making’ it in this profession. However my luck materialised in the people that came into my life and impacted my existence in ways that transcended tennis. I am so incredibly grateful for these people you know who you are.
“Through my resilience and the guidance of others, I got to live my dreams.”
Born in Sydney, Konta settled with her family in the United Kingdom as a teenager and turned professional in 2008.
She began receiving LTA funding in 2012 after becoming a British citizen.
Konta won four WTA singles titles, including her most recent triumph in Nottingham in June 2021.
She completed 5 years and 11 months consecutively as British number one, the longest period any individual has held that achievement since the start of the WTA rankings in November 1975.
“Johanna is a tremendous inspiration for so many in British Tennis and everyone at the LTA and involved in the sport is immensely proud of what she has achieved," said Iain Bates, Head of Women's Tennis at the LTA.
"It has been a great privilege for me personally to watch her evolve into the player she became. She leaves a legacy of perseverance, determination and professionalism that will be carried forward by the current and next group of players.”
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement