Kontaveit "100 percent at peace" with retirement decision: "My life certainly didn't end there when I stopped playing tennis"

Tennis News
Tuesday, 03 October 2023 at 16:21
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Anett Kontaveit has revealed that she is completely content with her decision to retire from professional tennis earlier this year, saying that she is happy to be able to do other things.
The former World No. 2 ended her career at Wimbledon in July after she was diagnosed with disc degeneration in her lower back. In a recent interview on the ETV show Hommik Anuga, Kontaveit explained the situation and why she knows that she made the right choice to retire.
"It's just from overuse, the spine gets [strained] all the time. You run from corner to corner for hours every day, it just gets put under so much strain that parts like that just wear out, they get too much wattage. I knew that at some point this career had to end. Top sport is all about tearing your body apart," the 27-year-old said.

Kontaveit enjoying life post-retirement

Kontaveit also explained that she was at peace with her decision and didn't regret it all, especially because life outside of professional tennis also has lots of advantages. However, she also admitted that she was still adjusting to a different routine.
"I'm the kind of person who thinks very long and hard before making any big decisions, so, I know it was the right decision and I'm 100 percent at peace with it. Of course, there are more things I could have still have achieved, but I know that when I was playing I gave 100 percent of myself. I did everything as well as I could and so I know this was the right decision for me.
"Of course there are some positives, I can be at home, I don't have to travel every week. A lot of the hard things that came with tennis are behind me now. But, one thing I'm really scared about is how I'm going to cope with all the things that I've never had to deal with before, like the routine of being at home, the cold and the long winter," she said.
"My life certainly didn't end there when I stopped playing tennis. There are so many other opportunities in life. I think I'm pretty hard working and I hope to find something new and exciting to do. And maybe people really will hear from me again.
"On social media, I consciously don't post so many workout or tennis pictures because I feel like, as I've been an athlete for so long, I want to share the things I do outside of sports so that people can maybe get to know me a little bit better.
"Everybody knows that I play tennis and work out, but people don't know what I like to do outside of sport. I like to do different things. Now I've been able to spend a few weekends outside Tallinn, in Saaremaa and I've been on holiday to Greece. I really like spending time with friends," she added.

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