"She let's her racket do the talking, I respect that" - John McEnroe pays tribute to Sam Stosur, as Aussie legend readies for retirement
WTA
John McEnroe has paid tribute to “understated champion” Sam Stosur as she prepares to retire from tennis after the Australian Open. The 38-year-old has announced that she will step away from tennis after her home Grand Slam.
Stosur’s career highlights include winning the 2011 US Open - beating Serena Williams in the final - making the French Open final in 2010, winning seven Grand Slam doubles titles, and reaching world No.1 in women’s doubles.
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Having turned pro all the way back in 1999, her longevity in the game has also been one of her most remarkable traits.
“She has always been a quiet, understated champion,” former world No. 1 McEnroe told Eurosport. “She lets her rackuet do the talking, I respect that. I wasn't necessarily that way, but I respect a person that just goes about and does their business, and I'm proud of her, that she was able to open up and be herself, I think that takes some guts.
“I'm sure that as time went on it made her feel even better about herself.”
In 2019 following an awards ceremony, Stosur opened up about her sexuality in an Instagram post, and in 2020 she became a mother along with partner Liz Astling.
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Stosur said that it “felt so good just to open up” after not previously mentioning her partner in public.
“I think fans and other players, even old commentators like myself, had known for a while that this was the time that she was going to end,” said McEnroe. “You're talking about someone who won a Grand Slam and was battling at the end of the French Open and was one of the top players in the world.
“It's not easy to make the transition from that to just playing doubles, so I think that at some point that was going to get a little old for her, and I think it's fitting obviously that coming from Australia that she would end it here.
“I wish her the best, she's had a great career, she's going to be in the Hall of Fame in my opinion, so good for her.”
Stosur starts her women’s doubles campaign with Alize Cornet on Thursday.
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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