5 Tennis stars who retired too soon
Tennis and injuries go hand in hand. Despite not being a contact sport like football or rugby, many tennis stars have seen their careers ended or halted because of injuries. Tennis elbow, severe or chronic back pain and rotator cuff tears are the most common injuries, caused due to overuse of specific muscles.
The following is a list of five players who retired too soon from tennis mainly because of injuries.
I would like to give an honourable mention to both, Steffi Graf and Pete Sampras. Both of them played tennis at the top level till their late 20s but could have achieved a lot more if they played on for three to four more years given that they were still winning grand slams when they retired:
#5 Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick won the US Open at the young age of 21 as he beat Juan Carlos Ferrero at home, much to the delight of the spectators. Roddick also overtook Ferrero as the No.1 men's player becoming the last American to do so till date.
The American ace enjoyed several years among the best players vying for the grand slam title but was never able to win another grand slam title. His unsuccessful attempts include 3 Wimbledon finals (2004, 2005 and 2009) and the 2006 US Open final where he finished as runner-up losing all four times to Roger Federer.
He put his name down in the record books in the 2009 Wimbledon final, as he won a record number of 39 games out of 77, also being part of the longest final in Wimbledon's history. Sadly though, he lost the fifth set 14-16 to a majestic Federer who refused to go down.
Roddick retired from the game after taking part in the 2012 US Open citing fitness issues and lack of motivation.