Lauren Davis announces retirement after 15-year career

NEW YORK: Lauren Davis has announced her retirement from professional tennis at the age of 32 in a heartfelt Instagram post, featuring a carousel of photographs highlighting key moments from her career. In her Instagram post, Davis reflected on her 15-year career and expressed gratitude for the experiences tennis has given her.

“Tennis has given me so much, and I’m endlessly grateful for the memories, the lessons, and the friends I’ve made,” she wrote. “I’m deeply proud of myself for showing up day after day, and I can truly say I have no regrets—I left my heart out there every single time.” The 32-year-old, a two-time WTA Tour title-winner, also recounted her journey from Gates Mills, Ohio, to the top of the sport. She moved to Florida at 16 to train at Chris Evert’s Evert Tennis Academy and turned professional less than a year later. Standing just 5 ft 2 in, Davis described herself as ‘one of the shortest players on tour,’ but said she ‘never let that limit me’ and hoped to inspire others along the way. “I saw it as an opportunity to be an anomaly, and hopefully to inspire others—I hope I did just that,” she added. Over her career, Davis reached the third round of a Grand Slam six times, including at the 2018 Australian Open, and recorded five wins over top-10 players, most notably defeating defending Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber in 2019. She represented the United States in three Billie Jean King Cup ties, including the 2017 semifinals, the year the Americans last won the title. Web Desk