This year’s Wimbledon Championships is probably the last for many champions. People are already speculating about the retirement of Andy Murray, Venus Williams, and even Novak Djokovic. But one player confirmed that it would be her last tournament in her career before entering the tournament.
Anett Kontaveit, in the third week of June, announced her retirement through an emotional Instagram post. Though she won her first match, her exit came pretty sooner than expected. After the Estonian played her last match and bid farewell to the crowd, her mother, who was present in the court, couldn’t control her emotions.
The last wave of a champion witnessed by an emotional mother and audience
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Kontaveit won her first round at the Grass Slam against Lucrezia Stefanini but couldn’t get past Marie Bouzkova in her second round. Bouzkova was ranked higher than Kontaveit and defeated her by 6-1, 6-2. In a Twitter post by ‘The Tennis Letter,’ the twenty-seven-year-old was seen thanking the crowd for their support.
The sight of her daughter’s last exit from a professional tournament brought tears to her mother. The post was captioned, “Before Anett Kontaveit leaves the court, she turns around & waves to the crowd one last time. Her mother is in tears as her daughter?s career comes to an end. The girl with the golden smile. A career & person worth remembering.”
Before Anett Kontaveit leaves the court, she turns around & waves to the crowd one last time.
Her mother is in tears as her daughter’s career comes to an end.
The girl with the golden smile.
A career & person worth remembering. 🥹 pic.twitter.com/Hd9QNwkcBx
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 6, 2023
The Estonian star announced her retirement at a tender age, leaving the tennis world stunned. The official accounts of WTA, the Australian Open, and players like Jessica Pegula, Ajla Tomljanovi?, and others conveyed their wishes and congratulated her on her amazing career by commenting on her retirement post on Instagram. Kontaveit wanted a few things for her in her last tournament but did not get them all.
Anett Kontaveit hoped to give her best in her last tournament
In her retirement post, the Estonian wrote, “I am ready for new challenges after my last effort as a professional tennis player ? to enjoy the game and compete as hard as I can at Wimbledon.” While the Wimbledon schedule landed many players in trouble, leaving them still waiting to play their first round due to wild weather, Kontaveit did not let it get to her.
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The newly retired champion focused on her win despite the horrific change of schedule for her first round. The game between Kontaveit and Stefanini was shifted to an outside court. Court number 6 barely had any rows to stand, leave alone sitting. Fans were forced to stand, which infuriated them. They felt that this was the highest form of disrespect for a player who was the 2nd seed in last year’s Grass Slam.
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However, Kontaveit had one last wish before retiring. After winning her first round, the WTA champion hoped to play on a big court, as she did not get a chance to enjoy and feel the game fully. But the wish remained unfulfilled as she exited in the very next round. But the Estonian stood strong and quit the game gracefully by humbly waving at the crowd, and taking the leave of the world, for one last time.
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