Roberta Vinci has announced to the Italian sports Daily La Gazzetta dello Sport her plan to retire from tennis at the age of 34 in the middle of next season at the 2018 Internazionali d’Italia in Rome in front of her home fans.
She said in a social media post that she wanted her final match to be a party and invited fans to be her guests.
Vinci reached a career-high of world number 7 at the start of 2016 after winning her last title in St Petersburg beating Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic and achieved her career higlight when she ended Serena Williams’ dream hopes of winning the calendar Grand Slam in the 2015 US Open semifinal before losing an all Italian final against Flavia Pennetta. She has become the fourth Italian player in history after Francesca Schiavone, Flavia Pennetta and Sara Errani to reach the top 10 and won ten singles titles and 25 doubles titles. She reached the top of the WTA doubles ranking and completed the career Grand Slam alongside her partner Sara Errani. Vinci ended the 2017 season ranked World number 117.
“I have decided to continue and return to the court, but not for the whole year. I will finish my career at the Foro Italico. In the middle of the season I will say goodbye to tennis and it’s something I have considered for a long time. I have decided to make one last appearance in front of the Italian fans as a way of saying thanks to all Italians. I did not want to retire at the end of a difficult season, which was affected by injury problems. I hope to end my career in Rome on a high note”, said Vinci to the Gazzetta dello Sport
Vinci won just four main draw matches in 13 appearances at the Foro Italico and has not won a match since 2008. She has never won two consecutive matches in the Italian capital.
“I have never played in Rome, because of the surface and the pressure to play in front of Italian fans. Hopefully I can change this negative trend”.
The Italian star has chosen to move to Milan where she is currently training with Lorenzo Di Giovanni, who had already coached Francesca Schiavone and Andrea Guarnaccia after splitting with her former coach Francesco Cinà.
“I have chosen to train with Lorenzo Di Giovanni, a young coach, who knows tennis very well. I am planning to live in Milan in the future. Rome will be my last tournament, even in the case that I reach the top 10 again. I am focused on the next six months but I will certainly continue working in the world of tennis. I would like to teach tennis and transfer my knowledge and passion. I don’t think that I will work as TV commentator and I will not follow the example of Francesca Schiavone and Flavia Pennetta, who are working for television”.
