Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli retired from tennis after losing the second round match to Simona Halep 3-6, 6-4-,61 at the Cincinnati Masters, says a report in The Hindu, adding that the 28-year-old veteran while announcing her decision Wednesday said she had injuries in her Achilles tendon, shoulder, hips and lower back throughout her career. She was the eighth seed of the tournament.
“I have pain everywhere after 45 minutes or an hour of play.... It’s just body wise. I just can’t do it anymore. Everyone will remember my Wimbledon title. No one will remember the last match I played here. It’s time for me to retire and to call it a career. I feel it’s time for me to walk away actually,” said ,” said the World No.7
“Achilles is hurting me a lot, so I can’t really walk normally after a match like that, especially on the hard court when the surface is so hard. And my shoulder and my hips and my lower back. My body is just done,” she added.
Meanwhile a report in the DNA says Bartoli had given no hint that she was considering retirement and in fact seemed focused on preparing for the North American hardcourt season and the upcoming US Open. She played last week in Toronto and was seeing her first action in Cincinnati having received a first round bye. But a 3-6 6-4 6-1 loss to Halep looks to have been the last straw. "It's been a tough decision to take," said Bartoli, an eight-time winner on the WTA tour.
"I've been a tennis player for a long time and I had the chance to make my biggest dream a reality. "You know, everyone will remember my Wimbledon title. No one will remember the last match I played here. I made my dream a reality and it will stay forever with me, but now my body just can't cope with everything."
WTA chairman and CEO Stacey Allaster paid tribute to Bartoli's "long, successful career". "She is an inspirational champion and a great ambassador for women's tennis that has dedicated her life to the sport and given so much back to the game," she said in a statement issued in the early hours of Thursday morning.
