Former world No 2 Anett Kontaveit announces retirement due to back injury at 27

Anett Kontaveit is calling it a day! Suffering from a degenerative lumbar disc injury, the 27-year-old Estonian announced on Tuesday that she has decided to end her career after Wimbledon.

In a lengthy message posted on her social networks on Tuesday 20 June, the former world No 2 explained her decision:

“Today I am announcing that I am ending my career as a professional athlete,” she wrote. “After several doctor’s visits and consultations with my medical team, I have been advised that I have of the lumbar disc generation in my back. This does not allow for full-scale training or continued competition. Therefore it’s impossible to continue at the top level in such highly competitive field.”

Suffering from a bad back since the end of the 2022 season, the Estonian knew that she would never recover from her injury, but hoped to be able to continue playing without the pain.

Exhausted, she took a two-month break from February 2023. Listening to her body, the Tallinn native has decided to put an end to a career that has seen her win six trophies and reach a career-high ranking of No 2 in June 2022.

At 27, the greatest player in Estonian history is already looking to the future, but intends to taste the joys of professional tennis one last time at Wimbledon.

“I’m ready to turn to new things after one last effort as a professional athlete – enjoying and being as competitive as possible at Wimbledon.”