Johanna Larsson announces retirement from tennis

Former WTA World No.45 Johanna Larsson , winner of two WTA Tour titles, has announced she is quitting the game with immediate effect.

Former WTA World No.45 Johanna Larsson has announced that she is to retire from tennis with immediate effect.

The 31-year-old announced her decision in an interview with Swedish media, with a Fed Cup defeat to Poland’s Magda Linette in Luxembourg on February 8 the final match of her career.

She won two WTA Tour titles, the 2015 Swedish Open and the 2018 Nuremberg Cup, while she held a 2-3 record in finals, four of which were on her favored surface of clay.

Additionally, she achieved success on the doubles court as a Top 20 player, with a run to the semifinals of the 2019 French Open alongside Kirsten Flipkens a highlight.

In 2017, she reached the finals of the WTA Finals in Singapore alongside Kiki Bertens, suffering a narrow 4-6, 6-4, [10-5] loss to Timea Babos and Andrea Hlavackova in the showpiece.

“I’m extremely happy and proud of what I’ve done. It’s been a great journey with many wonderful moments,” she said.

“I feel that my energy is not really there to play at 100% and I don’t want to play tennis unless I play at the highest level.

“It’s clear that there will be a void, but right now it feels nice not to have to count down the days before I go.

“It’s nice that my diary is empty and that I can just take each day as it comes.”

A statement from the Swedish Tennis Federation said: “Thanks for everything Johanna and congratulations for an outstanding career.”