It has been a busy month for notable tennis players announcing that they’re moving on from the court. Now Agnieszka Radwanska–popularly known as “Aga”–has posted a statement saying she’s also stepping away from the pro scene after 13 years on tour.
"Thank you for every sleepless night in front of the TV and all those Fan Favorite awards – that was the biggest honour and best reward for my hard work. I am truly grateful for having the best and most loyal fans in all of tennis."
Full statement from @ARadwanska: pic.twitter.com/yawxoIcmxB
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) November 14, 2018
The former World No. 2 in women’s singles, winner of 20 career WTA singles titles, and one of the most beloved players on tour, frankly stated “my body can’t live up to my expectations” and that ending her pro career “was not an easy decision.” She leaves the sport at the age of 29–young by today’s standards, but not too surprising given her defensive style of play. She has also been struggling with injuries in recent years.
Though her best Grand Slam outings were an appearance in the Wimbledon final (2012) and two Australian Open semifinals (2014 and 2016), Radwanska has claimed well over $20 Million in career prize money and won two WTA Doubles titles earlier in her career. She attained a women’s doubles world ranking of No. 16 in 2011. Radwanska has racked up six straight WTA awards for Fan Favorite Singles Player of the Year from 2011 to 2016. She played in the 2012 Wimbledon final against the eventual winner Serena Williams.
Last Saturday, David Mrzena of iDNES.cz reported that Lucie Safarova, the champion of the 2016 US Open and 2015 and 2017 editions of the Australian Open and French Open, would be playing her final Grand Slam tournament in Melbourne.
Earlier this season, during the run-up to the US Open, LastWordOnTennis wrote about David Ferrer withdrawing from the Grand Slam stage.
Now Ferrer, Safarova, and Radwanska, some of the most notable players of our generation, will all take the next big step into life beyond their Grand Slam years, after they have been playing on the sports’ biggest stage for a combined 47 years. The sport will surely miss them. The only question for fans is who can step up to fill the large shoes that these icons of the sport are leaving behind.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
