Another tennis season is rapidly coming to a conclusion, which could bring with it more retirements from the sport.
Gael Monfils will retire next year, a decision taken by the likes of his fellow ATP icons Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray last year.
Petra Kvitova retired after the US Open this year to continue the theme of high-profile players calling it a day in recent times.
There have also been a handful of players simply deciding to end their seasons early due to the demanding schedule.
Daria Kasatkina will miss the rest of the season, while her fellow WTA star Paula Badosa has ended her season early.
Photo by PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty ImagesOlympic silver medalist says she is very close to tennis retirement
Donna Vekic will continue her schedule at the Wuhan Open, but the 2024 Paris Olympic silver medalist has now dropped a major hint about her future in the sport.
Asked by Tennis what 2026 looks like for her, the 29-year-old replied: “That’s heavy for Tuesday at 10pm. But yeah, the end is definitely near. How long do I want to play? I don’t know.
“The problem is that it’s getting tougher and tougher to do the things I need to be doing to be at the level I want to be at.
“It’s a daily battle, to be honest. I’m just trying to take it day by day and see how much I can push myself because this sport is brutal.”
EXCLUSIVE: Donna Vekic opens up about life since becoming a silver medalist 🥈
“Now that I have a medal, I feel like I’ve made it. If I don’t win anything else, it’ll be fine.”https://t.co/AtsSLqYY9a
— TENNIS (@Tennis) October 6, 2025
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Donna Vekic disagrees with Venus Williams about tennis being healthy
Currently ranked 71st in the world, Vekic has played 33 WTA matches so far this season, winning 12 and losing 21.
She is now playing at the Wuhan Open in China, where the Croatian ace is meeting Belinda Bencic in the round of 64.
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
But the busy schedule is clearly constantly on her mind, with Vekic adding: “It’s funny: yesterday, I was watching Venus [Williams] and seeing adverts about tennis being the world’s healthiest sport.
“I was like, ‘What? More like the world’s unhealthiest sport if you play it as much as we do and live the life that we do!’”
And sharing insight into what post-retirement could look like, Vekic added: “I have so many interests, but when I stop, I think I’ll just want to rest.”
She will certainly deserve a rest after a fantastic career, which includes that superb Olympic medal run in Paris last year.
Vekic boasts four WTA titles in total, and once reached as high as 17 in the WTA rankings, earning over $10million in prize money.