Former world No 2 Anett Kontaveit forced into early tennis retirement with injury

Anett Kontaveit, who was ranked No 2 in the world last year, has announced she will retire from tennis after a final outing at Wimbledon next month due to a chronic back injury.

The 27-year-old Estonian said on Tuesday the degenerative condition has made it impossible for her to continue to compete at the highest level and she will be forced into early retirement.

“Today I am announcing that I am ending my career as a competitive athlete,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “After several doctor’s visits and consultations with my medical team, I have been advised that I have lumbar disc degeneration in my back.

“This does not allow for full-scale training or continued competition. Therefore it is impossible to continue at the top level in such a highly competitive field.”

Kontaveit retires having won six WTA singles titles, and 11 singles and five doubles titles on the ITF circuit.

She reached the quarter-finals of the 2020 Australian Open and two WTA 1000 finals – in Wuhan in 2018 and Qatar last year.

“Tennis has given and taught me a lot, and I am very grateful for that,” she wrote. “It has been important to me to bring the Estonian flag to the tennis courts and to be able to play in front of my supporters and fans all over the world.

“I am ready for new challenges after my last effort as a professional tennis player – to enjoy the game and compete as hard as I can at Wimbledon.”