Tennis fans are expressing their support for Ana Ivanovic after the grand slam champion revealed for the first time why she abruptly retired at age 29. Ivanovic, who won the French Open in 2008 and was runner-up at the Australian Open the same year, announced her sudden retirement in December of 2016.
The former World No.1 was only 29 at the time and had made a grand slam semi-final just the year before. She said at the time that she didn’t feel like she could play to her lofty standards anymore, despite still being quite highly-ranked.
For the last 10 years it’s been somewhat of a mystery as to why Ivanovic really called it quits. But she’s now revealed some telling new details about what she was dealing with at the time.
Ana Ivanovic announced her retirement when she was only 29. Image: Getty
“During the last years of my career, I experienced very severe panic attacks whenever I had to walk onto the court,” she said this week. “I never talked about it, but the panic attacks were incredibly intense.
“People would wonder what suddenly happened in the middle of a match, why my game would fall apart. But the truth is that I’d be overcome by panic and simply couldn’t go on. Then I’d be overwhelmed by the fear of having to go out and play in front of people again the next day.”
Speaking on the ‘(Ne)uspjeh Prvaka’ podcast with Croatian football manager Slaven Bilić, she said: “It had been building for a long time. I remember that when I was in my 20s, I said I wasn’t the kind of person who would play until I was 40.
“That never appealed to me because I knew there were other things I wanted to do in life. Deep down, I no longer had the feeling that I could get back to the very top.”
Ana Ivanovic won the French Open title in 2008 and was World No.1. Image: Getty
Tennis fans rally around Ana Ivanovic
Ivanovic admitted a toe injury she suffered just days before the Australian Open in 2015 eventually led to a knee issue, which sparked the beginning of the end for her. “Little by little it all led to me becoming mentally exhausted and constantly battling inflammation,” she added.
Tennis fans have been commending Ivanovic for her bravery to speak about the sensitive subject and expressing their sadness that they didn’t know about the panic attacks sooner. One person wrote: “Anyone who has dealt with severe panic attacks knows how awful it can be.”
Another commented: “Heck of a burden to carry.” While a third added: “I hope her health conditions are okay.”
