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Famous Retired Tennis Players카테고리 없음 2021. 7. 19. 12:38
As the 2019 tennis season curtains down, tennis players will be planning to catch some rays and prepare for the next season, but a few of the talented professionals of the sport will be joining the list of retired tennis players and will no longer compete on the professional tennis courts.
Tomas Berdych
The Wives, Girlfriends, Boyfriends, Husbands And Partners Of Tennis Players A small but elite group - by Susannah Guthrie 16 Oct 2020. Continuing our Season In Review series, ATPTour.com looks at the players who retired in 2020. Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan (Retired: 26 August), Career-High No. 1 From their first professional tournament at the 1995 US Open, when, as 17-year-olds, they were mistaken by opponents for ball kids and not initially given accreditation badges, to winning 1,108 tour-level matches together, Bob Bryan. Anna Kournikova net worth and career earnings: Anna Kournikova is a Russian-American retired professional tennis player who has a net worth of $50 million. Former professional tennis player, Pete Sampras, became the winner of 14 Grand Slam singles titles during his career. He was ranked world No. 1 in 1993 and held the record for 286 weeks. Nicknamed “Pistol Pete,” the player was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2007.
The Czech tennis player, Tomas Berdych’s retirement news was floated during the week of ATP World Tour Finals 2019. This year, the former Wimbledon finalist, Berdych skipped a series of tournaments pertaining to his injuries. He reached the finals at Qatar Open as an unseeded contestant and fell to the seventh seed, Roberto Bautista Agut in the title-match.
Former World Number four, Berdych last won a match in Winston-Salem and he played his last professional match on the courts of US Open this year and he officially retired from tennis on London’s O2 Arena.
His retirement news was untimely published by the Czech media and Berdych wanted it to be a surprise for the tennis fraternity.
David Ferrer
The former French Open finalist, David Ferrer hung his boots this year after serving the ATP Tour for 19 long years. After losing to Alexander Zverev on his home turf of Madrid, Ferrer bid goodbye to the sport.
“I never won Madrid. I never won Roland-Garros. I never won some tournaments I would’ve loved to win. I have my trophies at home, they’re just trophies, material. What I really take with me is the love you’ve shown me. Thank you so much. Always in my heart.” These were David Ferrer’s final words on Madrid’s Caja Magica as a professional tennis player.
Now, he has been appointed as the tournament director at the Barcelona Open.
Know More – David Ferrer Named as New Tournament Director of Barcelona Open
Marcos Baghdatis
Another legend tennis player, Marcos Baghdatis hit the sack in 2019. The Australian Open 2006 finalist, Baghdatis scheduled his retirement from the sport at Wimbledon 2019.
The sole heir of Cyprus tennis, Baghdatis concluded his 15-year tenure on the ATP circuit after losing to Matteo Berrettini. In 2010, he was the only player to defeat Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal while they were ranked number one in the world.
Read More – Top Five Moments in Marcos Baghdatis’ Career
Famous Retired Tennis Players
Nicolas Almagro
The Spaniard, Nicolas Almagro retired on the courts of his hometown in Murcia, Spain. The 2013 Australian Open quarterfinalist, Almagro has been battling physical problems that have obstructed him to perform on the ATP circuit.
He was a three-time quarterfinalist at Roland Garros each time he lost to the eventual champion and his compatriot, Rafael Nadal. During the Barcelona Open 2014, Nicolas Almagro snapped Nadal’s 41-match winning streak. It was his first victory over his compatriot, Nadal after meeting him 11 times in his career.
Janko Tipsarevic
The Serbian, Janko Tipsarevic hung his racquets in a dramatic manner. In his last match on the ATP circuit, he saved a string of nine matches points against the Japanese tennis player, Yuichi Sugita at Intrum Stockholm Open 2019 and put up a great before setting his racquets aside.
Famous Female Tennis Player
“If I were to choose one of the ways to finish my career, it would be like this, leaving everything on the court,” Tipsarevic said in his on-court interview after the match. “I will remember this moment for the rest of my life.”
Dominika Cibulkova
The Slovakian tennis player, Cibulkova broke her retirement news at the debut signing of her book “Tennis Is My Life”. The Slovakian star lost to Aryna Sabalenka in the opening round of Roland Garros 2019, since then she did not play a professional match.
“My last match was at Roland Garros. I wanted to take time to find out how I feel about it, and I feel that today is the perfect day to do it. I’ve thought about it for a long time and I’m excited about my new life,” she announced. She also penned an emotional post on Instagram.
Lucie Safarova
The former French Open finalist, Safarova scheduled her retirement on her home turf of Prague Open, but leading to the opening round defeat in the Czech capital, where she was in tandem with Barbora Stefkova in the doubles discipline, Safarova finally called off her career at French Open 2019.
The former French Open finalist, Safarova received a see off on the Court Phillippe Chatrier. “This truly is the most favorite court on earth for me. So many special memories,” a teary Safarova said. “[The WTA] has been like a family these last 15 years. Thank you Paris, I love you.”
Marcin Matkowski
Former World Number seven, Marcin Matkowski retired from tennis at the age of 38. Matkowski has won a total of 18 doubles titles in his career.
Victor Estrella Burgos
The tennis player from the Dominican Republic, Víctor Estrella Burgos is one of the retired tennis players in 2019. He won three titles in his career and all of them were achieved in Ecuador at Ecuador Open 2015, 2016 and 2017.
Katerina Kramperova
The ITF tennis Player, Kramperova announced retirement from professional tennis in July this year.
Arantxa Parra Santonja
The Spanish tennis player with 11 doubles title, Parra Santonja joined the list of retired tennis players in 2019. She reached the career-high singles ranking of World Number 46 and she held her career-high doubles ranking of World Number 22.
Lilia Osterloh Snape
The American tennis player, Osterloh Snape announced her retirement from tennis at the age of 41. At US Open 2000 she reached the fourth round and her career-high doubles ranking is World Number 77.
In 2012, the average age of the top ten men’s tennis players was 27, while the women’s top ten average was just 25.1. While many professional tennis players start as soon as they’re out of high school, the average age of professionals who are on top is increasing, with many of them currently in their late 30s.
This may seem old, but all of the tennis players on this list continued to play in their 40s and the oldest player is still going strong in her 70s! In addition to being the oldest tennis players ever, many of the people on this list are some of the greatest players in tennis history and still hold several records. All of these tennis players prove that age doesn’t have to stop you from going after your dreams.
10. Tommy Haas (April 3, 1978 – Present)
photo source: Wikimedia CommonsTommy Haas recently retired in early 2018, about a month before his 40th birthday. Haas was four years old when he started playing tennis and his talent was nurtured by his father, Peter Haas. When Haas was 13 years old, he moved to Florida to train under the famous tennis coach, Nick Bollettieri.
Haas started his professional career in 1996, which was the same year he graduated from high school. Within a few short years, Haas ranked in the top 10 for the first time and also won his first title in 1999. Haas’ career continued to take off and by the end, he earned 15 singles titles and 1 in doubles.
9. Takao Suzuki (September 20, 1976 – Present)
photo source: Wikimedia CommonsTakao Suzuki may not have as many titles as most of the players on this list, but he is still playing at the age of 42. Suzuki has been playing tennis since he was a child and turned professional in 1995.
While Suzuki’s overall rank high was at No. 102, he was ranked No. 1 in his home country of Japan. In 2017, Suzuki became the first player in their 40s to reach the final of an ITF Pro Circuit event. Suzuki also has the most wins for Japan in the Davis Cup than any other player.
8. Jimmy Connors
photo source: Wikimedia CommonsJimmy Connors is another legendary tennis player who stayed in the game well into his 40s. Like John McEnroe, Connors was known for his fiery temper in addition to his strong tennis skills. Connors verbally fought with his opponents, tennis officials, and also the crowd. According to the International Tennis Hall of Fame, which inducted Connors in 1998, Connors never ever apologized for his behavior.
Despite his polarizing behavior, Connors won 125 tournaments during his long career. Connors holds the Open Era record for most championships won (109) and was the year-end No. 1 world ranked player from 1974 through 1978. He was also the first player to use a steel Wilson T2000 racket, instead of the traditional wooden racket.
7. Ken Rosewall (November 2, 1934 – Present)
photo source: Wikimedia CommonsKen Rosewall had a long tennis career spanning over three decades. Rosewall holds several records, including being the oldest major tournament winner in the Open Era, when, at age 37, he defeated Mal Anderson to win the 1972 Australian Open. On the other end of the spectrum, Rosewall still holds the record for being the youngest champion of the Australian championship, which he won for the first time in 1953 when he was just 18 years old.
Rosewall went on to win 133 tournaments over his long career and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1980, the same year he retired. At 83 years old, Rosewall is still alive and has the honor of being an Australian Living Treasure for his outstanding contributions to Australian society.
6. John McEnroe (February 16, 1959 – Present)
photo source: Wikimedia Commons
John McEnroe is one of the greatest tennis players in history and also one of the most controversial. McEnroe was often called an artist for the way he handled a tennis racket and his skills helped him win 77 singles titles and 72 in doubles competition. He was also ranked No. 1 in both categories. In 1999, McEnroe was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
While McEnroe’s skills were legendary, so were his temperamental outbursts. McEnroe was such a passionate and intense player that he had some of the greatest rivalries in tennis history, especially with Jimmy Connors and Björn Borg. McEnroe’s temper earned him a reputation and he was often parodied in pop culture. However, at times he has been in on the joke and has appeared in several commercials acting out his infamous outbursts.
5. Kimiko Date (September 28, 1970 – Present)
photo source: Wikimedia CommonsKimiko Date has played professional tennis for nearly all of her adult life. Date started playing tennis when she was in elementary school and went pro as soon as she graduated from high school in 1989. A year later, Date made it to the fourth round of the Australian Open. In 1994, Date won her first international tournament, the NSW Open in Sydney, and became the first Japanese tennis player to rank in the Top 10 of the WTA Tour Rankings – Date was ranked at No. 9.
Although Date wanted to continue playing tennis, she was forced to retire in 2017 because her body was no longer in shape enough to keep going. Date’s final tournament was at the 2017 Japan Women’s Open, which took place just before her 47th birthday.
4. Billie Jean King (November 22, 1943 – Present)
photo source: Wikimedia CommonsBillie Jean King is a legendary tennis player who is made many advancements in the sport for women. King founded the Women’s Tennis Association in 1973 and made history that same year when she beat Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match. She also successfully lobbied for equal prize money for men and women at the U.S. Open in 1973. A few years earlier, King was the first female athlete in any sport to earn more than $100,000 in prize money in a single season.
Additionally, King was the first tennis player to be named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the year and was the first female athlete ever to receive the honors. In her personal life, King was one of the first female athletes to publicly come out as a lesbian, which caused her to lose all of her endorsement deals. King was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987.
3. Younes El Aynaoui (September 12, 1971 – Present)
photo source: Wikimedia CommonsYounes El Aynaoui of Morocco is currently still active in the professional tennis circuit. El Aynaoui has been playing professionally since 1990 and is still going strong. In 2017, El Aynaoui, at the age of 45, won an IFT match against 23-year-old Bernd Kossler. This win means that El Aynaoui is the oldest player to currently have an ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) ranking.
El Aynaoui is probably best known for competing against Andy Roddick at the 2003 Australian Open. Their match is considered one of the greatest Grand Slam quarterfinals ever and at the time, it was the fifth longest set in Grand Slam history. That year, El Aynaoui reached his career high rank of No. 13.
2. Martina Navratilova (October 18, 1956 – Present)
photo source: Wikimedia CommonsMartina Navratilova is considered to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time of any gender. According to the International Tennis Hall of Fame, which inducted Navratilova in 2000, no male or female tennis player has won more singles tournaments than Navratilova (167), doubles events (177), or matches (2,189).
Navratilova’s professional tennis career began in 1975 and lasted until 2006. That year, a month shy of her 50th birthday, Navratilova won the mixed doubles championship at the US Open, making her the oldest tennis player in history to win a major title. In addition to being a legendary tennis player, Navratilova has been an LGBT activists since she came out in 1981.
Famous Retired Male Tennis Players
1. Gail Falkenberg (January 16, 1947 – Present)
photo source: tennis.comAlthough she only plays at the lower levels of the pro tennis circuit, Gail Falkenberg, who is still playing tennis at the age of 71, is the oldest tennis player in the world. Falkenberg was thrust into the spotlight in 2016 when she won a professional tennis match at 69 years old. She defeated Rosalyn Small in the qualification of ITF Pelham and went on to play against Taylor Townsend, who was at one point the No. 1 junior in the world.
Falkenberg has been playing tennis since she was in college in the 1960s and following a break, she turned pro in the early 1980s. In 1988, Falkenberg won a match at that year’s Australian open and shared a locker room with tennis greats, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, and Steffi Graf.
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