(Reuters) – Sam Stosur will call time on her singles career at next month’s Australian Open, though she will continue to play doubles in 2022, the 37-year-old said on Wednesday.
The Australian player received a wildcard to play at Melbourne Park, where she has reached the singles fourth round on two occasions, in 2006 and 2010. She thanked tournament organisers ahead of her 20th appearance at the major.
“It really means a lot to me to be able to finish in front of my family, friends and Aussie fans who have stuck by me through thick and thin,” Stosur, a former U.S. Open champion, said on social media.
“I’m sure it’s going to be a mix of emotions but I wouldn’t want it any other way as I always thought I’d finish playing in Australia. I do however plan to play the rest of the year in doubles but this will close the first chapter of my career.”
Tennis Australia said in a statement https://www.tennis.com.au/news/2021/12/29/stosur-to-finish-singles-career-at-australian-open-2022 it would be Stosur’s 69th Grand Slam singles appearance in total – a record for an Australian player and the sixth most for any woman in history.
She beat Serena Williams in the U.S. Open final in 2011 and was a runner-up in the French Open a year earlier.
Stosur has enjoyed greater success while partnering other players, winning four Grand Slams in women’s doubles and three in mixed doubles. Her most recent doubles crown came at Flushing Meadows earlier this year, partnering China’s Zhang Shuai.
The 2022 Australian Open starts on Jan. 17.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Pravin Char)
