Melzer on life after singles career and how he choose to focus on doubles

Jurgen Melzer retired from singles playback in 2018 simply because his body couldn't handle the wear and tear on his body from playing singles anymore. He didn't turn his back on tennis completely as he decided to stick around in the doubles.

"I had a conversation with my wife and said, ‘Okay, I want to give it a shot [in 2019]. I want to give it a try until the French Open and if I have the feeling I can still win tournaments and win big tournaments, I’ll continue. Otherwise, I’d rather be at home with my son and my wife and do something else. She was okay with that and said, ‘Okay, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do and have no regrets.’ She used to be a swimmer, so she knows how it is to stop something you love doing."

Melzer didn't have to continue playing. He already tallied over 10 million in prize money and with 18 titles in both singles and doubles, it was a successful career. However, the love for the game prevailed:

"The reason I still play tennis is because I love the game. You don’t make that much money playing Challengers and playing ATP 250s in doubles, but I still love the game and I still have the feeling that I have it in me to win big tournaments like Hamburg [in 2019] and I think I would have regrets if I wouldn’t have done it Melzer said. I still had the feeling I have something left. The sport has given so much over the past 20 years that why not continue? I’m happy I did it because now I’m in a position where I can play the big tournaments."

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