Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska, often called “the ninja” because of her spectacular trick shots, has made a tough decision to end her tennis career, as her body can’t sustain the demands of professional sport any longer.
After 13 years of living life on the tour and 20 WTA titles to her name, including the 2015 WTA Finals in Singapore, the 27-year-old has decided to hang up her racquet:
This was not an easy decision. […] Unfortunately, I am no longer able to train and play the way I used to, and recently my body can’t live up to my expectations. Taking into consideration my health and the heavy burdens of professional tennis, I have to concede that I’m not able to push my body to the limits required.
Radwanska is currently ranked 75th, but every season between 2008 and 2016 she finished in the Top 15. Her last title was the 2016 China Open, while her last match was in September this year, against Irina Camelia-Begu in the second round of the Korea Open in Seoul.
In her retirement message, the 2012 Wimbledon finalist pointed out that even though she’s leaving the pro tour, she’s definitely not entirely leaving tennis. We’ll see what that implies, but for now we know that her other occupations include the renting of her themed apartments Krakow. Of course, we can assume that Aga may join the WTA baby boom as well, since she’s been married to Dawid Celt for a year and a half now. No pressure there 😉
Besides her versatile tennis, in more recent years Aga was also famous for her daring Lotto dresses, that included metallic & gold prints, lace, tropical vibes, laser cuts, etc.
My Twitter feed is flooded with messages from Aga’s fellow WTA players, including those from Karolina Pliskova, Kristina Mladenovic, Johanna Konta, Julia Goerges, Caroline Wozniacki, and others. My favorite is the message from Heather Watson, who said:
We’ll all miss Aga so much!
She was/is one of the greats of the game. There is no one in the women’s game with the variety of shots she possesses. She’s the most clever and skillful player too. Yes, she lacks power but her finesse and touches are masterful. She will be missed as she was the girl who gave the tennis world a lot of joy. She would make a good coach, learning and teaching players how to think on the court. She has all the attributes.
Gustaf Claassens, the fact that she almost always won the WTA’s “Shot of the Month” tells a lot about her versatility. I’m glad that we’ll continue seeing her in tennis, at least that’s what she promised.
Will miss her!