"I don't know how people do these farewell tours" - Shelby Rogers speaks on being emotional prior to her retirement
WTA
American tennis star Shelby Rogers played her last professional match at the 2024 US Open, putting an end to a career that saw her compete alongside the best WTA players in the world.
The 31-year old announced her plans to retire in August 2024, before stating she would hang up her racket after her home Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows. Rogers would face sixth-seeded compatriot and friend Jessica Pegula in the opening round, falling in a competitive match that saw both ladies overcome with emotion at it's conclusion.
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Announcing a retirement can be very emotional, reveals Rogers
The South Carolina native was a permanent fixture on tour during the last decade, reaching a career-high ranking of World No.30 in 2022. Furthermore, she had her best Grand Slam showings at the US Open and French Open, where she reached the quarterfinals at both events. Rogers was also a member of Team USA's Fed Cup winning team in 2017.
Following her final tournament at the 2024 US Open, Rogers made an appearance on The Tennis Channel. The American spoke on her decision to retire and future plans, and revealed she found it difficult to officially announce her retirement due to her love for the sport.
"I definitely held off as long as I could announcing it because it was just very emotional," admitted Shelby. "I don't know how people do these farewell tours. Like, every week they are showing up and people are just complimenting you and hugging you. There's just so many emotions that go into it."
The entire segment can be seen below.
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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