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Tennis and injuries go hand in hand. Despite not being a contact sport like football or rugby, many tennis stars have seen their careers ended or halted because of injuries. Tennis elbow, severe or chronic back pain and rotator cuff tears are the most common injuries, caused due to overuse of specific muscles.
The following is a list of five players who retired too soon from tennis mainly because of injuries.
I would like to give an honourable mention to both, Steffi Graf and Pete Sampras. Both of them played tennis at the top level till their late 20s but could have achieved a lot more if they played on for three to four more years given that they were still winning grand slams when they retired:
#5 Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick won the US Open at the young age of 21 as he beat Juan Carlos Ferrero at home, much to the delight of the spectators. Roddick also overtook Ferrero as the No.1 men's player becoming the last American to do so till date.
The American ace enjoyed several years among the best players vying for the grand slam title but was never able to win another grand slam title. His unsuccessful attempts include 3 Wimbledon finals (2004, 2005 and 2009) and the 2006 US Open final where he finished as runner-up losing all four times to Roger Federer.
He put his name down in the record books in the 2009 Wimbledon final, as he won a record number of 39 games out of 77, also being part of the longest final in Wimbledon's history. Sadly though, he lost the fifth set 14-16 to a majestic Federer who refused to go down.
Roddick retired from the game after taking part in the 2012 US Open citing fitness issues and lack of motivation.
#4 Kim Clijsters
Kim Clijsters became the first player to be ranked No.1 by the WTA without winning a grand slam title. She achieved this feat in 2003, the same year, in which she won both French Open and the Wimbledon in women's doubles category, also becoming the No.1 doubles player in the process.
The Belgian tennis star won her maiden grand slam title as she won the 2005 US Open. Going from strength to strength, Clijsters defeated the title holder Martina Hingis in the quarter-final of the 2006 Australian Open but withdrew from the tournament due to an ankle injury.
In May 2007, she decided to retire from the sport immediately citing injuries as a big reason for cutting short her career at the age of 23.
In 2009, she made a comeback and won the US Open as a wildcard becoming the first ever wildcard to win a grand slam. She successfully defended her US Open title next year and bagged the 2011 Australian Open title as well. After competing in the 2012 London Olympics and US Open, she called time on her career.
#3 Martina Hingis
Martina Hingis became the youngest Grand Slam champion when she won the women's doubles Wimbledon final alongside Helena Sukova at the age of just 15 years and 9 months. She also became the youngest singles Grand Slam champion in the 20th century when she bagged the 1997 Australian Open title at the age of just 16 years and 3 months.
After several injuries and operations at the start of the 21st century, Hingis (winner of 7 singles Grand Slam titles and 9 doubles Grand Slam titles) decided to call time on her career at the age of 22.
In 2005, Hingis made a comeback to the sport. She went on to win the mixed doubles title at the 2006 Australian Open alongside Mahesh Bhupathi.
In October 2007, the Swiss tennis player was banned for 2 years from playing the sport by the International Tennis Federation due to substance abuse. Hingis appealed against the ban but in vain.
Her second comeback was much more successful than the first comeback as she went on to win 4 women's doubles Grand Slam titles and 6 mixed doubles Grand Slam titles. She also bagged a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics in the women's doubles category. She called time on her career at the end of 2017.
#2 Justine Henin
Justine Henin came on the world map when she helped Belgium win the 2001 Federation Cup. In 2003, she won both the French Open and the US Open title which she followed up with an Australian Open win in 2004. The Belgian clinched the gold medal in the women's singles category in the 2004 Athens Olympics.
She followed these achievements by winning three consecutive French Open titles in 2005, 2006 and 2007. She bagged the US Open in 2007 title as well after defeating both the Williams sisters in the tournament.
Henin missed the 2007 Australian Open due to a split with her husband. Everything seemed back on track since she went on to win both the French Open and the US Open that year.
In 2008, she suffered an injury in her right kneecap and then withdrew from a tournament citing fatigue as the reason. Soon, the then World No.1 Henin announced her retirement just before the 2008 French Open putting the whole tennis world in shock.
She made a comeback in 2009 and reached the 2010 Australian Open final which she lost to Serena Williams. After winning the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix and the UNICEF Open in 2010, she closed the curtains on her successful career.
#1 Bjorn Borg
The legend. The heartthrob. The man. Bjorn Borg was everything a young man aspires to be. The Swedish player won 6 French Open and 5 consecutive Wimbledon titles at the age of 25.
The teenage sensation won his first grand slam at just 18 years of age, as he won the French Open in 1974 and retained the title next year as well. In 1976, he won his first Wimbledon championships and went on to win 5 Wimbledon titles in a row becoming the first player to do so in the Open Era.
After his sixth French Open win in 1981, the then World No.1 lost the Wimbledon final and US Open final, both to John McEnroe. The 1981 US Open final defeat left Borg in shock as he said that he didn't feel upset after losing that match for the first time in his life.
The Swedish tennis ace had minor spells before retiring in 1984 leaving the fans wondering, what he could have achieved if he played for a few more years.
