Johanna Konta announces SHOCK retirement from professional tennis
Former British No 1 Johanna Konta RETIRES from tennis aged 30, after admitting she has been suffering from ‘heart palpitations’ and having missed Wimbledon and the Olympics after she turned down the Covid vaccine but then tested positive
Former British No 1 Johanna Konta has announced her shock retirement from professional tennis at the age of 30.
In a statement on Twitter titled ‘Grateful’, the 2017 Wimbledon semi-finalist described how she managed to ‘live her dreams’ and counted herself to be ‘incredibly fortunate’ despite a frustrating 2021 overshadowed by problems caused by Covid.
Konta, who reached a career high ranking of No 4 in the world, revealed in August that she was unsure if she should have taken the COVID-19 vaccine, after turning down the vaccine before testing positive during a period of self-isolation – adding that Covid had affected her physically and mentally.
Konta missed Wimbledon and the Olympics due to problems with Covid support bubbles and contracting the virus herself.
‘It was a combination of feeling quite ill so I was sleeping or just existing for a few days,’ she said.
‘There was also a period there where I had to work through my own feelings of injustice at all of it, like: ‘Why now?’ sort of feeling. I needed a bit of space and a bit of licking my wounds.’
When asked if she regretted not taking the vaccine, she said: ‘I don’t know, I’m not too sure.’
Johanna Konta has announced her shock retirement from professional tennis at the age of 30
The former British No 1 missed Wimbledon and the Olympics this year due to Covid issues
Konta penned an emotional message online where she emphasised how ‘grateful’ she felt
Konta also detailed recently how she has had ‘heart palpitations’ and feels ‘lightheaded’ during matches.
‘I have heart palpitations sometimes. Basically, my heartbeat quickens for no reason. I feel a little dizzy.
‘The first time this happened was in Birmingham in 2017; the second time was in Beijing in 2018. The third time was three months ago when I was doing my training block on clay at my home in London.
‘So I wouldn’t say that there is a massive common denominator. There have been stressful situations and stress-free situations.’
In announcing news of her retirement, Konta penned an emotional statement on social media, saying: ‘Grateful. This is the word that I’ve probably used the most during my career, and is the word that I feel explains it best at the end.
‘My playing career has come to an end, and I am so incredibly grateful for the career that it turned out to be.
‘All the evidence pointed towards me not “making” it in this profession. However my luck materialised in the people that came into my life and impacted my existence in ways that transcended tennis.
‘I am so incredibly grateful for these people. You know who you are.
‘Through my own resilience and through the guidance of others, I got to live my dreams. I got to become what I wanted and said as a child.
‘How incredible fortunate I count myself to be. How grateful I am.’
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