{"id":195110,"date":"2025-10-07T09:31:23","date_gmt":"2025-10-07T09:31:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/195110\/"},"modified":"2025-10-07T09:31:23","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T09:31:23","slug":"olympic-silver-medalist-says-she-is-very-close-to-retiring-from-tennis-the-end-is-definitely-near","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/195110\/","title":{"rendered":"Olympic silver medalist says she is very close to retiring from tennis, ‘the end is definitely near’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Another tennis season is rapidly coming to a conclusion, which could bring with it more retirements from the sport.<\/p>\n

Gael Monfils will retire next year<\/a>, a decision taken by the likes of his fellow ATP icons Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray last year.<\/p>\n

Petra Kvitova retired<\/a> after the US Open this year to continue the theme of high-profile players calling it a day in recent times.<\/p>\n

There have also been a handful of players simply deciding to end their seasons early due to the demanding schedule.<\/p>\n

Daria Kasatkina will miss the rest of the season<\/a>, while her fellow WTA<\/a> star Paula Badosa has ended her season early<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"PaulaPhoto by PEDRO PARDO\/AFP via Getty ImagesOlympic silver medalist says she is very close to tennis retirement<\/p>\n

Donna Vekic<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

Asked by Tennis what 2026 looks like for her, the 29-year-old replied: \u201cThat\u2019s heavy for Tuesday at 10pm. But yeah, the end is definitely near. How long do I want to play? I don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Aryna Sabalenka confirms the reason why she took extra time off from tennis after winning the US Open<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe problem is that it\u2019s getting tougher and tougher to do the things I need to be doing to be at the level I want to be at.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a daily battle, to be honest. I\u2019m just trying to take it day by day and see how much I can push myself because this sport is brutal.\u201d<\/p>\n

EXCLUSIVE: Donna Vekic opens up about life since becoming a silver medalist \ud83e\udd48 <\/p>\n

“Now that I have a medal, I feel like I\u2019ve made it. If I don\u2019t win anything else, it\u2019ll be fine.”https:\/\/t.co\/AtsSLqYY9a<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 TENNIS (@Tennis) October 6, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n

View Tweet<\/p>\n

Donna Vekic disagrees with Venus Williams about tennis being healthy<\/p>\n

Currently ranked 71st in the world, Vekic has played 33 WTA matches so far this season, winning 12 and losing 21.<\/p>\n

She is now playing at the Wuhan Open in China, where the Croatian ace is meeting Belinda Bencic in the round of 64.<\/p>\n

\"TennisPhoto by Clive Brunskill\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

But the busy schedule is clearly constantly on her mind, with Vekic adding: \u201cIt\u2019s funny: yesterday, I was watching Venus [Williams] and seeing adverts about tennis being the world\u2019s healthiest sport.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was like, \u2018What? More like the world\u2019s unhealthiest sport if you play it as much as we do and live the life that we do!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

And sharing insight into what post-retirement could look like, Vekic added: \u201cI have so many interests, but when I stop, I think I\u2019ll just want to rest.\u201d<\/p>\n

She will certainly deserve a rest after a fantastic career, which includes that superb Olympic medal run in Paris last year.<\/p>\n

Vekic boasts four WTA titles in total, and once reached as high as 17 in the WTA rankings, earning over $10million in prize money.<\/p>\n