5 Perfectly timed tennis retirements

Timing is important in every aspect of the game. So much so, that even timing your retirement is something important. An untimely or a late retirement can spoil the image of a player.For example, Lleyton Hewitt is not going to be remembered as well as he would have been if he retired a few years ago, nor is Marion Bartoli who retired after winning her first grand slam at the age of 30. On the other hand there are players who time their retirement perfectly so that they are remembered for decades to come.Here is a list of 5 players who timed their retirements perfectly.

#5 Billie Jean King

Billie Jean King is argubaly one of the best players ever. She won a total of 12 Grand Slams in the open era (she won a total of 39, but 27 of those were not in the open era). King retired from competitive play in singles at the end of 1983. And just like the others she retired on a high note, winning the singles title at Birmigham, and being the oldest WTA player to win a title.

King is an advocate for sexual equality. In 1973, at age 29, she won the so-called Battle of the Sexes tennis match against the 55-year-old Bobby Riggs, and was the founder of the Women's Tennis Association, World TeamTennis (with former husband Larry King), and the Women's Sports Foundation.

Grand Slam Singles Titles	Years Won
Australian Open	1968
French Open	1972
Wimbledon	1966, 67, 68, 72, 73, 75
US Open	1967, 71, 72, 74

#4 Chris Evert

Chris Evert, who was also known as the “ Ice Maiden “ for her cool and composed self on the court, was another player who timed her retirement perfectly, being in the top 5. Her style of play was exceptional and she never expressed her emotions on court, which is something that set her apart from her competitors. She has always remained cool and composed and has fought back from the jaws of defeat several times. She won an astounding 18 Grand Slam Singles titles and 3 doubles titles during her time.

Grand Slam Singles Titles	Years Won
Australian Open	1982, 84
French Open	1974, 75, 79, 80, 83, 85, 86
Wimbledon	1974, 76, 81
US Open	1975, 76, 77, 78, 80, 82

#3 Rod Laver

Rod “Rocket” Laver has been deservingly called the best player of the 20th century. He is the only person in the history of tennis to win all the 4 grandslams in a calendar year twice (1962,1969).

His style of play was different from others at that time and this is what set him apart. He retired at at the age of 38 in 1978. He had not won a slam since 1969 but was still performing really well on court even at an older age and retired just before he faced any sort of a slump.

Grand Slam Singles Titles	Years Won
Australian Open	1960, 62, 69
French Open	1962, 69
Wimbledon	1961, 62, 68, 69
US Open	1962, 69

#2 Pete Sampras

Everyone loves to end on a high note, or go out with a bang. And thats exactly what Pete Sampras did, retring after his historic win against arch rival Andre Agassi at the U.S Open in 2002. He officially announced his retirement in 2003. After the match against Agassi, in an interview with Sports Illustrated, Sampras said, "To beat a rival like Andre, in a storybook ending, it might be nice to stop...But I still love to compete. I'll see in a couple of months where my heart is and my mind. My head is spinning."

Some people like to retire on top, and Sampras was one of them. He had an extremely poor season leading up to the U.S Open, so the win at flushing meadows meant a lot to him, and he could not see himself go back to that slump he had at the begininning of the year.

Grand Slam Singles Titles	Years Won
Australian Open	1994,97
French Open	Never won - Best result - Sf - 1996
Wimbledon	1993,94,95,97,98,99,2000
US Open	1990,93,95,96,2002

#1 Steffi Graf

Stefanie Maria “Steffi” Graff is undoubtebly the best women’s tennis player ever. She has a massive total of 22 Grand Slams, and she is also the only player in the open era to win all the 4 Grand Slams in a calendar year, along with an Olympic Gold during the same year (1988). The brilliant thing about her game was her versatility across all playing surfaces.

She was able to win each grand slam more than 4 times, something which no player has been able to do till now. She won a Grand Slam for a continuous period of 10 years till 1996. She won her final Grand Slam (French Open) at the age of 30 in 1999 and decided to retire at end of that year at that age. But, like she said, there was nothing left for her to accomplish.

“I have done everything I wanted to do in tennis. I feel I have nothing left to accomplish. The weeks following Wimbledon [in 1999] weren't easy for me. I was not having fun anymore. After Wimbledon, for the first time in my career, I didn't feel like going to a tournament. My motivation wasn't what it was in the past,” she said.

Grand Slam Singles Titles	Years Won
Australian Open	1988, 89, 90, 94
French Open	1987, 93, 95, 96, 99
Wimbledon	1988, 89, 91, 92, 93, 95, 96
US Open	1988, 89, 93, 95, 96