Three-time Grand Slam champion - Tennis star Angelique Kerber retires after Olympics
Angelique Kerber is retiring from tennis after the Olympics. She announced her decision before the start of the Paris Summer Games on Instagram.
"Before Olympia begins, I can already say that I will never forget Paris 2024, because it will be my last professional tournament as a tennis player," wrote the 36-year-old: "And even though this might be the right decision, it will never feel that way. Simply because I love the sport from the bottom of my heart and am grateful for the memories and opportunities it has given me."
Kerber had become a mother for the first time 17 months ago and could not return to top form in sports after her comeback. She won the Australian Open and the US Open in 2016 and became the second German world number one after Steffi Graf. Two years later, she won the Wimbledon grass-court classic. Kerber is the most successful German tennis player behind Graf. She also won Olympic Silver at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Games.
Angelique Kerber's comeback after maternity leave failed
At the end of February 2022, Kerber gave birth to her daughter Liana. She made her comeback from maternity leave shortly before the turn of the year. However, she failed to advance past the first round at the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon. After her disappointing exit from Wimbledon three weeks ago, she had left open whether this was her last appearance at a Grand Slam tournament in London. Now, Kerber is retiring earlier than expected.
"I have always watched the Olympics on TV as a child and imagined winning a medal, and it didn't matter to me what color the medal was," Kerber said in an interview with "Vogue" magazine just before the start of the Olympics in Paris: "So it's a personal highlight for me to be there this year and soak up that special energy."
Kerber's Olympic dreams extend beyond her tennis career, as she mentioned admiring the Olympic Games on TV as a child and imagining winning a medal, regardless of its color. Although Kerber is retiring from tennis after the Olympic Games in Paris, Steffi Graf, a former world number one, also excelled in tennis, winning multiple Grand Slams and earning an Olympic Silver Medal at the 1988 Seoul Summer Games. Tennis is not just a sport for Kerber, but a source of joy and gratitude; she has had an illustrious career, winning the Australian Open and US Open in 2016, and becoming the most successful German tennis player behind Graf. Despite her retirement announcement, the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris, officially named Olympia, will hold a special place in her heart as it marks the end of her professional tennis journey.
