30 December,2016 10:24 AM IST | | PA Sport
Ivanovic added she would not be 'disappearing completely from the (WTA Tour) circuit' and was 'excited about the new challenges and the new path ahead of me'
Ana Ivanovic
Ana Ivanovic
Paris: Former World No. 1 Ana Ivanovic has retired from professional tennis, aged 29.
The Serbian, who won the French Open in 2008, has struggled with injury problems in 2016, winning only 15 matches, and did not play on the WTA Tour after the US Open in August.
Ivanovic, who married Manchester United midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger during the summer was also on the list for the Australian Open.
Following her facebook video, the 29-year-old also issued a written statement via her official Twitter account, which read: "This has been a tough decision, but there is so much to celebrate. By the time I was ranked No. 1 in the world in 2008, I'd seen highs I'd never dreamed of. But seeing those 'highs' in any professional sport demands top physical form, and it is well known that I have been hampered by injuries.
"For myself, for my fans, for all the young girls and boys who might be watching me... I can only play if I can perform up to my own high standards, and I can no longer do that. It is time to move on."
Ivanovic added she would not be "disappearing completely from the (WTA Tour) circuit" and was "excited about the new challenges and the new path ahead of me".
