"You have always represented American tennis with incredible dedication" - USTA gives final send-off to Sam Querrey after first-round exit at US Open
American tennis player Sam Querrey recently celebrated his retirement party with his United States Tennis Association (USTA) friends and family after a first-round exit at the 2022 US Open.
Having represented American tennis since 2006, the USTA holds Querrey as a very close member of the association. As the chief executive of the USTA, Stacey Allaster thanked Querrey for representing the country with "incredible dedication and passion" in as professional a manner as possible.
"On behalf of the American tennis family, we are so thrilled that you are moving on to the next chapter of your life. You have always represented American tennis with incedible dedication and passion. I only had a short time to work with you and those times have been very professional and I appreciated your leadership, through those coversations. So, all the best! Here is to the great Sam Querrey," she said, speaking at his retirement party.
ATP veteran @SamQuerrey celebrates his retirement with USTA friends and family at the @usopen ☺️ https://t.co/v3nXzOSNug
Querrey, a 34-year-old Californian, played the last match of his career, losing to Ilya Ivashka 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(8), 6-3 at Flushing Meadows in the first round. Speaking during the celebration ceremony, he was grateful for how the USTA has made him feel as if tennis was a team sport and hoped to be around the game in the coming years as well in some capacity.
"Thank you everyone here, tennis is an individual sport, everyone knows, but you guys, all here, kind of made me feel like it was a team sport and that's been the best part about these last years. I think, this is my 17th US Open and I'll hope I will still be around a little bit and do something? I don't know what it is yet, but I hope I am here next year floating a 'hi' to everyone and cheers to everyone who has been a part of this journey. So, thank you!" he said.
Querrey announced his retirement prior to the New York Major after 16 years of playing professional tennis, saying that he wanted to try his hand at something new after spending his entire life focussed only on the game.
"My body is a little tired. I've been at the US Open since 2006. I have two young children. I want to do something different. I want to test my mind somewhere else and try something new. I feel like this is the right one The time is," Querrey explained his decision in an interview with the ATP .
Looking back at Sam Querrey's incredible career
One of the tallest players on the circuit, Sam Querrey is known for his huge serve as he holds the record for the most consecutive aces on the ATP tour (10). The Californian turned professional in 2006 and is currently retiring after having lifted 10 ATP Tour singles trophies. He climbed to a career-high World No. 11 in the ATP rankings and earned 23 victories against Top-10 opponents.
The 3-time Los Angeles Open champion has won 385 matches against 329 losses overall throughout his career and will be best remembered for his combination of monstrous serve and powerful forehand.