Anett Kontaveit retired from tennis after Wimbledon at the age of 27. Due to her back problems and pain, the Estonian decided to end her career. Now, a few months later, the former world number 2 spoke about the difficulty of making that decision, how she lives day by day with the pain and how she approaches her life after tennis.
-The most difficult decision of your life
“I wouldn’t have stopped for no reason. This back injury has become very serious over the years. It was holding me back so much that I felt like I couldn’t play at that level anymore and it was a very difficult decision. I’m the type of person who thinks long and hard before making big decisions, so I know it was the right decision and I’m 100% at peace with it. Of course, there are more things I could have done, but I know that when I played I gave my best. I did my best and I know this was the right decision for me.
I knew that at some point this race had to end. High-level sport is about destroying the body,” he said. Kontaveit to the television program Morning with Anu of Estonian public television.
-Living with pain
“My back hurts in my daily life, basically in the lower part. It hurts when I’m in a static position for a long time, a little with certain movements, and sometimes it hurts in the gym. “It’s not the kind of pain that makes me cry and have to go home, but in some situations it still hurts.”
-Realize that I was not at my usual level
“It’s a difficult time. I have always been studying, doing other things and I always felt like I had a life outside of tennis. My life is not going to end there. But when it actually happens it’s quite difficult, much more difficult than I thought. I’m still crying. I think that everything I have achieved I will only understand after a while. Right now it’s like being in a bubble. Of course there are some positives, I can be at home, I don’t have to travel every week. Many of the difficult things that came with tennis are now behind us. But one thing that really scares me is how I’m going to deal with all the things I’ve never had to deal with before, like the routine of being at home, the cold and the long winter.
-There is more life after tennis
“My life didn’t end there when I stopped playing tennis. There are many other opportunities in life. I think I’m working very hard and hope to find something new and exciting to do. And maybe people will really hear from me again,” confessed Kontaveit, who is currently studying Psychology at the University.
2023-10-05 09:33:05
#life #didnt #stopped #playing #tennis
