Latvian tennis player Anastasija Sevastova has confirmed that she will take a break from tennis and is unsure about when she will return again.
The former top 20 player announced on Tuesday that her decision has been prompted by ongoing physical issues that she has been dealing with in recent months. During an interview with Latvian Television program “Morning Panorama” Sevastova said the main problem that has been bothering her is her shoulder but was reluctant to speak about other issues she has been experiencing.
Sevastova’s announcement comes after she lost in the first round of the Australian Open to Poland’s Magda Linete in straight sets. At the start of the season she reached the second round of the Melbourne Summer Set after defeating Caroline Garcia before losing to America’s Ann Li.
“It was a good preparation for the pre-season, but – the first tournament, the first match with the old pain and injuries. I can’t show my best game when playing with pain that bothers me,” Sportacentrs quoted Sevastova as saying.
Earlier in her career Sevastova briefly retired from the sport at the age of 23 in 2013 due to injury before returning to action two years later. Since then she has reached eight WTA Finals and has won three titles. In 2018 she achieved her best-ever Grand Slam run by reaching the semi-finals of the US Open. More recently, she has experienced average results on the Tour with three quarter-final appearances last year in Eastbourne, Miami and Adelaide.
The 31-year-old refused to give an estimated time about how long she could be away from the Tour for. Stating that her decision has been taken in order to look after her body in the long-term.
“It all needs to be sorted out, and it takes time. I’ll take a longer break. I don’t know how long, but hopefully everything will be sorted out. I can’t predict exactly how it will be. I’ll relax and get my health in order. If you are not ready for 100%, there is nothing to do on the field,” said Sevastova.
“It’s a difficult decision, but – sport is not a lifetime. I hope everyone will respect my decision. After that, I have to live, and I do not want to live with all the injuries,” she added.
Sevastova has been ranked as high as 11th in the world and has won more than $8.2M in prize money. She is currently one of only two Latvian women currently ranked in the world’s top 200 along with Jelena Ostapenko.
