The Australian Open, because of being the first Grand Slam of the year, has brought the usual hype with tennis performances. Fans are awaiting to see the way Jannik Sinner and Madison Keys defend their titles. However, the event also shocked the entire fanbase with this particular announcement.
On X, WTA announced that 36-year-old tennis veteran Latisha Chan, who has won four Grand Slams in her career, declared her immediate retirement from professional tennis. This closed a remarkable 22-year chapter that began professionally when she was just 14. She shared a lengthy Instagram post, which carried her sentiment about her decision.
“I’ve never been very good at saying goodbye, especially to say goodbye to a dream that has been with me for 30 years. Tennis came into my life when I was 6 years old, I didn’t expect to be with me all the way until I was 36 years old,” she said. “Lucky to be brave for my dreams with the support of my parents.
And on such a special journey, with so many, many people along the way who helped me support me, I can’t help but get red eyes to think of it.”
Tennis was very close to her. Indeed, her performances did speak for themselves. Latisha spent 34 weeks as a world no. 1 in the doubles rankings after a dominant 2017 season, where she secured 11 doubles titles alongside her sister Chan Hao-Ching and Martina Hingis. However, her journey wasn’t completely smooth; she faced her fair share of challenges down the road.
In 2014, Latisha Chan was diagnosed with postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS). Because of this health condition, she ultimately steered her focus away from singles, where she had once been ranked as high as No. 50, and toward the specialized craft of doubles. While she will miss tennis’ “daily boring training, never-ending jetlag, and long flights,” she also shared what the sport has taught her.
“It also taught me how to fall and stand up again. Still keep believing in yourself when the whole world doesn’t believe in you,” she wrote. Furthermore, Chan will be honored at the Australian Open with a retirement ceremony, becoming the first Taiwanese to achieve such recognition at a Grand Slam tournament. Well, for her, the Australian Open has been a special place.
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The Australian Open had been a rollercoaster experience for her
At the Australian Open, Latisha Chan’s tennis career has shown consistency. In the women’s doubles, she has reached the finals two times, and once she reached the finals in the mixed doubles.
In 2007, she got a wild-card entry with Chuang Chia-Jung, and the rest was history. Indeed, both of them reached the finals of the Australian Open, but the specialty about this achievement was that it was Chan’s first Grand Slam doubles event, and on their way, they defeated 2006 US Open doubles finalists Dinara Safina and Katarina Srebotnik, and 2006 Australian Open and Wimbledon champions Yan Zi and Zheng Jie.
Chan again came close to glory at the Australian Open in 2015. However, she didn’t win the match with her partner, as the glory went to Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Šafářová. Well, she never secured a win at the Australian Open, but each close encounter with that Grand Slam glory made her the legendary tennis star that the world recognizes.