Former British Number One Baltacha Quits Tennis.

Former British number one, Elena Baltacha, has announced her retirement from professional tennis with immediate effect.

Baltacha, 30, broke into the world’s top 50 in 2010 and she enjoyed wins over top ten players including Li Na and Francesca Schiavone.

She reached the third round of the Australian Open twice (in 2005 and 2010) and the third round of Wimbledon (in 2002). She also won 11 International Tennis Federation (ITF) singles titles, most recently the Aegon Trophy in Nottingham in June this year.

Elena Baltacha at the Australian Open.
Elena Baltacha at the Australian Open.

“It just feels it’s the rightly time,” Baltacha said. “My body has taken such a bruising over the last 16 years and that’s finally taken its toll.”

“I’ve had some amazing experiences through playing tennis- some incredible highs and some very lows- and I wouldn’t change any of them but now my mind and my body are telling me it’s time to move on to a new phase of my life.

“I still absolutely love tennis and I want to take that passion and put it into learning to be the best coach I can be so I can help develop the next generation of British tennis players.”