Ana Ivanovic reveals retirement came before she lost love for tennis
Saturday 31 December 2016 13:11, UK
Former world No 1 Ana Ivanovic has admitted she quit tennis before she started to "despise" the sport.
The 29-year-old, whose sole Grand Slam success came at the 2008 French Open, announced her retirement earlier this week after years of battling against a variety of injuries.
But Ivanovic told The Times she had reached a position where she felt unfit to carry on at the top of the sport, both physically and mentally.
"The last few years have been a struggle with injury," Ivanovic said.
"It was always a fight coming back and so much work on the court, off the court, and then not sometimes being in the best shape.
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"For me, the IPTL (International Premier Tennis League who hosted events in Singapore and India recently) was a last test.
"I didn't have the feeling in my body and in my heart that I should push more.
"It's never easy to step back from something you love, but I wanted it to remain my love rather than something that I have to do or end up despising because it hurt."
Ivanovic's break from tennis looks like being a complete one as coaching does not appeal to her.
"I do not have ambitions of coming back as a coach," said Ivanovic, who married Manchester United and Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger in July.
"I'm really happy with the career I've had. Now it's time to try different things."
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