Maxine Cressy announces indefinite hiatus from tennis, joins Ons Jabeur in taking a break from the sport
ATP
With the grueling schedule taking it's toll on the stars of the ATP and WTA, it comes as no surprise that another tennis professional has announced an indefinite leave from the sport.
Former World No.31 Maxime Cressy took to social media to reveal he would be stepping away from tennis, with no plans on when he could return. The American has spent the last few years battling a back injury, making only sporadic appearances on Tour.
"I just wanted to be honest and transparent: I’ve decided to step away from the tour for the time being to focus on recovering from an ongoing lower back injury,” wrote Cressy on Instagram. “Since 2023, I have had severe lower back pain but I played through it again and again. Today, it has reached a point where I can no longer compete an entire match competitively.
“I have dedicated my entire life to becoming the best tennis player I can be, I wished it was to be the best but I know that I have given my absolute best effort and I have the peace of mind with that knowingness. I’m grateful for the support and love I’ve received throughout my career, and for those who’ve stood beside me both on and off the court."
“I have dedicated my entire life to becoming the best tennis player I can be, I wished it was to be the best but I know that I have given my absolute best effort and I have the peace of mind with that knowingness. I’m grateful for the support and love I’ve received throughout my career, and for those who’ve stood beside me both on and off the court."
Jabeur experienced a similar issue
The American's announcement comes days after Tunisian WTA star Ons Jabeur announced she would be taking an indefinite break from tennis. The former World No.2 released an emotional statement where the 30-year old admitted she hadn't been happy on the courts for a while. Furthermore, Jabeur revealed she had been battling injuries for over two years and needed time to "rediscover the joy of living."
Cressy's announcement comes at a time when the 28-year old was at one of the lowest points of his career. After reaching the fourth round of the 2022 Australian Open, the American would win his first and only tour-level singles title in Newport before rising to a career-high ranking of World No.31 in August of that year.
However, Cressy's trajectory would change the following year, as he spent a year without winning a tour-level singles match, before finally ending his drought in Newport in 2024. The Paris native has been a fixture on the ATP Challenger Tour this season, with his only ATP-level victories coming in qualifying rounds of larger events.
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
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