By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday October 21, 2020
Former World No.9 Julia Goerges of Germany has called it a career at the age of 31. The German, one of just three women from her country to hold a Top-15 ranking in both singles and doubles along with Claudia Kohde-Kilsch and Steffi Graf, broke the news on Wednesday.
“When I started playing tennis at the age of 5, I would never have thought that we would go such a long way together,” Goerges posted in a “Dear Tennis” letter on Instagram. “You have given me so many different types of emotions throughout our journey and I am very thankful for everything you have shown and taught me. I learnt how to deal with the toughest losses but also enjoy the most amazing wins of my career, to fight back many times when I was struggling with you and through it all we never lost sight of our dreams.
I always knew how I would feel when it is time to say goodbye to you, and that moment has arrived. I am ready to close the tennis chapter of my life and open a new one, which I am really excited about.
TIME TO SAY GOODBYE 💭✍️🎾 . . Dear Tennis, I am writing to you, because I am ready to say “Goodbye”. When I started playing tennis at the age of 5, I would never have thought that we would go such a long way together. You have given me so many different types of emotions throughout our journey and I am very thankful for everything you have shown and taught me. I learnt how to deal with the toughest losses but also enjoy the most amazing wins of my career, to fight back many times when I was struggling with you and through it all we never lost sight of our dreams. I always knew how I would feel when it is time to say goodbye to you, and that moment has arrived. I am ready to close the tennis chapter of my life and open a new one, which I am really excited about. Thank you for everything you have given me. You will stay forever in my heart ❤️ Yours, Jules P.S. Huge thank you to my family, friends, team, sponsors and fans for supporting and believing in me always, I couldn’t have done it without you. . . Liebes Tennis, ich schreibe Dir diese Zeilen, weil ich bereit bin mich von Dir zu verabschieden. Als ich mit 5 Jahren mit Dir angefangen habe, hätte ich niemals gedacht, dass wir einen so langen Weg zusammen gehen. Du hast mir so viele verschiedene Emotionen auf unserer Reise beschert und ich bin sehr dankbar für alles was Du mir gezeigt und beigebracht hast. Ich habe gelernt mit den härtesten Niederlagen umzugehen- die größten Siege meiner Karriere zu genießen- wiederzukommen als ich mit Dir gekämpft habe und nie aufzugeben meine Träume zu verwirklichen. Ich habe immer gewusst, dass ich es fühlen werde, wenn der richtige Zeitpunkt gekommen ist, zu Dir Tschüss zu sagen - der Moment ist da. Ich bin bereit das Kapitel Tennis zu schließen und ein Neues aufzumachen, worauf ich mich sehr freue. Vielen Dank für alles, was Du mir gegeben hast- Du wirst für immer in meinem Herzen sein ❤️ Deine Jule P.S. Ein großes Dankeschön auch an meine Familie, Freunde, Team, Sponsoren und Fans. Ihr habt immer an mich geglaubt und ohne Eure Unterstützung hätte ich es nicht geschafft . . 📷 Credits- #1:Parents #2: @porschetennis #3: @jimmie48tennis #4,5,6: @gettyimages
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The German was a fiery competitor with a booming serve and a wicked forehand. She earned seven singles titles in her career, with her last coming at Auckland in 2019. Goerges made her best Grand Slam appearance at Wimbledon in 2018 at Wimbledon when she reached the semifinals before falling to Serena Williams.
The 31-year-old made an additional ten singles finals and also claimed five WTA doubles titles.
"Julia’s powerful playing style, exemplary sportsmanship and thoughtful nature made her a fantastic ambassador for women’s tennis and a fan favorite around the world," said Steve Simon, WTA Chairman and CEO. "On behalf of the WTA family, I congratulate her on her wonderful career and the contributions she will leave with our sport and wish her every success and happiness for the future. She will certainly be missed."