World number 85 Sorana Cirstea has announced her retirement from Fed Cup after competing in the competition for 12 years.
The Romanian first made her debut when she was just 16 years old when she competed against Sweden in Zone Group I Europe/Africa.
Since then Cirstea has won 16 of her 29 Fed Cup rubbers but has now announced that it is time to move on and wishes the team the best of luck for the future.
“I feel like I have done my duty. And now is the time to pass the relay baton onto the new generation,” Cirstea said on her Facebook page.
“I would like to thank my teammates, the Federation, the captains, the coaches and everyone who was involved in our success, and especially the Romanian crowd that has been supporting me over the years.”
The 28 year-old will look to now improve her ranking after a disappointing 2018 season which included a 17-25 win-loss record.
WTA Starts Prepare For 2019
Meanwhile other WTA players have been preparing for the new season, which officially begins in 16 days. Here is some of the best action from the off-season so far:
Caroline Wozniacki
The Dane decided to use her off-season to improve her tennis with a certain 23 time grand slam champion:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrGQjLaAkZN/
Aryna Sabalenka
The Belarusian rising star had an amazing 2018 season and is using unique training methods to improve further next season:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrR8iX4jumH/
Garbine Muguruza
Despite an underwhelming 2018 season, the Spaniard has been practicing in California to get ready for the 2019 season:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrRSeoClwvx/
Julia Goerges
Practice is perfect in Julia Goerges’ case as she looks to expand on her Wimbledon semi-final:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrC8jJnBO_w/
Naomi Osaka
The US Open champion is getting ready for the new season in Los Angeles as she looks to gain even more fans in 2019:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bq-7699gldE/
