There have been many big retirements on the WTA Tour this year, but a former Wimbledon finalist is not ready to hang up her rackets just yet.
The first of those came back in February, when former world number one Simona Halep retired at the Transylvania Open.
Halep is not the only Grand Slam champion to retire this year, with Petra Kvitova also playing her final match at the US Open.
Eugenie Bouchard also retired from tennis, but another former Wimbledon finalist is not ready to say her farewell just yet.
Sabine Lisicki confirms that she is planning to return to the WTA Tour
Sabine Lisicki is a four-time title winner, has a career-high ranking of world number 12 and has the fastest official recorded serve in WTA history.
However, she is probably most famous for her run to the Wimbledon final in 2013, where Lisicki beat top seed and defending champion Serena Williams.
The German has undergone many different struggles since then, including shoulder, foot and knee injuries, the latter for which she had to undergo surgery.
This has limited Lisicki’s time on the match court since then, and she then suffered a devastating ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) tear in 2020.
Lisicki attempted another comeback two years later, which resulted in her winning her first title in nine years at the ITF 60K event in Calgary in November 2023.
She would only play one match after this title win, before taking another hiatus after falling pregnant with her first child.
After giving birth to her first daughter in November last year, many had assumed that Lisicki had retired from tennis.
However, that appears not to be the case, with the now 36-year-old Lisicki confirming her intent to return to the WTA Tour in an interview with German outlet, Tennis Magazin.
“That’s the plan,” Lisicki said when asked if she plans to make a comeback. “I put the most pressure on myself.
“So it was good to hear from the doctors that this process is normal, that the body needs more time. I want to get back fit, and that’s why it will take as much time as it takes. We’ll adjust the training plan accordingly.”
Sabine Lisicki hints at potential WTA tournament where she could retire
Lisicki has produced some of her best career results on grass courts, including reaching the Wimbledon final in 2013 and winning the Birmingham Classic in 2011.
Although she has suggested she has no end goal for her career just yet, Lisicki has hinted that it is likely to be on the grass courts and maybe at home in Bad Homburg.
“After my serious cruciate ligament tear in 2020, it was important for me to come back,” said Lisicki. “My goal was to win a title. I achieved that, which I’m very proud of.
“I can easily imagine retiring on grass. We now have wonderful tournaments in Germany: at my hometown club in Berlin, where I grew up, and a fantastic tournament in Bad Homburg.”
It is unclear as to where Lisicki will make her comeback, but tennis fans are likely to be very excited by her announcement.
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