End of an Era: Tennis bids adieu to former World No.1 Angelique Kerber at Paris Olympics

Andy Murray won't be the only former World No.1 retiring after the Paris Olympic Games as Angelique Kerber will call time on her illustrious career after the 2024 edition and play her last professional match in Paris.

Albeit mere months after initially returning to the sport at the Australian Open after becoming a mother for the first time. She joined a raft of returning mothers such as Naomi Osaka and Caroline Wozniacki on the tour returning but failed to recapture her prior results and sits at World No.218.

She had not won more than one match since Rome where she perhaps produced her best since her comeback losing to Iga Swiatek in the Last 16. But will play in a tournament that holds superb memories in the form of the Olympic Games. She is a former silver medalist back in 2016 at Rio and will end her career as on paper one of the best of all time.

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Only at the French Open did she not win a Grand Slam reaching the Quarter-Finals twice, she sealed the Australian Open and US Open in a golden 2016 which also saw her ascend to the highest heights of her career. She reached World No.1, but when it looked like her star was fading she won Wimbledon back in 2018.

The eighth most earnings of all time, Kerber will go down in history as a legend especially in her native Germany but also Poland where she lives due to Polish parents. A shock decision but also one perhaps not unexpected given that she has not found the form of other fellow returnees and at the age of 36, she has decided to bow out.

"The finish line. Before the @Olympics begin, I can already say that I will never forget #Paris2024, because it will be my last professional tournament as a tennis player. And whereas this might actually be the right decision, it will never feel that way. Simply because I love the sport with all my heart and I’m thankful for the memories and opportunities it has given me," said Kerber on Instagram.

"The Olympics, I’ve participated in so far, have been more than just competitions as they represent different chapters of my life as a tennis player: the climb, the peak… and now, the finish line. The Olympics in #London2012 came at a time, when I had my breakthrough season on the tour. I was climbing the rankings steadily and every win helped me overcome my doubts & strengthened my self-belief.

After not reaching her previous heights, Angelique Kerber has called time on her career.

"It all felt like new beginnings and I was carried by excitement to new heights. The year before, in 2011, I had almost turned my back on tennis and given up on my childhood dreams.

"When I arrived at the Olympics in #Rio2016, I had just won my first Grand Slam title in Australia at the beginning of the year. My silver medal run was embedded in a rush of emotions that led to my second Grand Slam title in New York and the top of the rankings. The descent in the following year was hurtful, but I learned my lesson and Wimbledon 2018 was my biggest reward.

"And now: #Paris2024 will mark the finish line of the most incredible journey I could have ever dreamed of growing up with a racket in my hand. There are many more things I want to say and people to thank, which I will do once I completed my last match…but for now, I will take the time and soak up every second of this final episode on court. Thank you all for your support - it means the world to me."

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