Follow us on Google Discover There have been a lot of big retirements on the WTA Tour this year, but one player is not ready for her journey to end just yet.
Grand Slam champions including Petra Kvitova have said farewell to tennis this year, with the two-time Wimbledon winner playing her last match at the US Open.
Kvitova has not been the only big retirement this year, with Eugenie Bouchard, Caroline Garcia and Simona Halep also saying farewell to tennis.
However, a former Grand Slam semifinalist has declared that she is not planning on joining these players anytime soon.
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty ImagesMagda Linette dismisses retirement rumours after honest social media post
Polish tennis player Magda Linette has been ranked as high as world number 19, and reached the Australian Open semifinals in 2023.
However, there have been some big recent obstacles facing the now world number 55, with Linette failing to win a Grand Slam match in two years.
There have also been some big wins for Linette, who has beaten Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula in 2025.
However, since beating Pegula in Cincinnati, Linette lost her last six matches of the season that finished at the Ningbo Open.
After drawing her 2025 season to a close, Linette made an honest post about how she was feeling after her 16th year as a professional tennis player.
Linette wrote on Instagram, “And that would be a wrap. Wrapping it up and writing down another season. There is a lot of talk lately about intensity, about calendar, about pressure. But I’m trying to think about gratitude more and more often, too. To treat every start, every flight, every match not only as a duty, but a privilege.
“With each passing year, I understand more and more that strength doesn’t always mean pace. I have the right to be tired. My lesson for the next few weeks – the ability to say to myself: “I’m going to rest now.” And doing it without feeling guilty. Is it going to make it?
“Coming back to home. To the people who remind me who I am without a rocket in my hand. Because only then can I miss the court again, the competition, the most beautiful things in this sport.”
There has been a lot of criticism of the current tennis calendar recently, and in an interview with Polish news outlet, TVP Sport, Linette has been asked if she has also been experiencing burnout,
“Yes, especially towards the end,” answered Linette. “Throughout the season, I kept coming back and dropping out again.
“I had a lot of health problems, something was always untreated. I was taking antibiotics and also had mandatory tournaments, so in the back of my mind I thought I could do it despite the illness.
“In Guadalajara, I wasn’t well prepared; I felt like I was in the wrong place. In hindsight, I think it was an unnecessary start, especially since I was flying to China right after. I trained well there, but in stressful and crucial moments, everything fell apart. It was a sign that I needed to stop and take care of myself.”
Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images
Despite facing some difficulties this year, Linette has now dismissed any chances of her retiring in the near future.
“This question comes up in every interview, but no, I’m not preparing to say goodbye,” responded the 33-year-old. “In the post, I simply wanted to emphasize that after 11 years on tour, I’m still playing at the same level, in the same tournaments, and I’m healthy.
“I’m looking at it from a positive perspective. I’ll definitely be playing next year. As I always say, I hope I have at least three more years of competition ahead of me. Tennis still brings me joy and satisfaction.”
Magda Linette names the match that she still has ‘nightmares’ about
Despite reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open under three years ago, Linette is currently on a nine-match losing streak at Grand Slam tournaments.
This includes a first round defeat at the Melbourne major this year, where Linette had a match point against Moyuka Uchijima.
When discussing some of her tough defeats she has suffered this year, Linette even admitted that she has had nightmares about this match.
“I can point to the Grand Slams, especially the Australian Open and Wimbledon,” said Linette. “The match point against Moyuka Uchijima…Well, sometimes I really do have nightmares about it.
“There were moments when I lost my cool, and that bothered me a bit. But that’s also part of sport. We learn, we draw conclusions, and we move on. You can’t always control everything, no matter how much you’d like to.”
Linette still remains a top 60 ranked player, and revealed her plans to play in Auckland and Hobart next year ahead of the Australian Open.