Monica Puig Announces Retirement from Professional Tennis

Puerto Rican Olympic champion tennis player Monica Puig has announced that she will be retiring from professional tennis and will be focusing on her sports broadcasting career with ESPN.

She has cited injuries as the main reason for the decision to retire. In her retirement message posted to Instagram, she said, “Its not a goodbye, but a see you soon.

Over the past 28 years of my life, tennis has been my constant. It has given me some of the most thrilling and memorable experiences I could have ever asked for. But, sometimes, good things come to an end. Today, I announce my retirement from tennis. After a tough 3-year fight with injuries and 4 surgeries, my body had enough.

“This decision isnt an easy one because I wouldve loved to retire on my own terms, but sometimes life has other plans and we have to open new doors that lead to exciting possibilities.

I would love to also announce that I will be very much active in the tennis world as a new full-time member of the ESPN family, along with branching out into many other sports that I am passionate about! I will also be exploring consulting roles for young, up-and-coming tennis players, as well as with programs and academies.”aIn 2016, she hit a career-high ranking of No.27 during the Hologic WTA Tour. She also holds one professional title, the Strasbourg 2014.

She is also an Olympic gold medalist at the 2016 Rio de Janer Olympics when she was 22. She became the first Olympic gold medal winner from Puerto Rico. To win, she had to defeat Angelique Kerber, Petra Kvitova, and Garbine Muguruza.

Continuing her statement, she said, “I always said it was a blessing and a curse kind of thing,” Puig told reporters last month at the Mutua Madrid Open.

“But I think it was just a really good period of growth for me. Growth, maturity, understanding myself, understanding who I am as a person, as a woman, and all of these things.

“Because I look back on it now, and I’m like, ‘Wow, I was so stupid for so many things.’ But at the end of the day, I didn’t know any better. I was 22 years old and kind of came out of nowhere, and I wasn’t ready for all of that.”

She closed off her post by thanking her sponsors and supporters.

“Listening to our anthem on the podium for the first time in history with a gold medal will always be the most beautiful memory of my life and career,” Puig wrote in Spanish.

“Thank you tennis. You have been everything. I owe you my life. Heres to the next chapter.”