"I don't want everyone to know what hurts me, it's private information" - Former World No. 11 Anastasija Sevastova announces indefinite sabbatical from tennis

Former World No. 11 Anastasija Sevastova announced her decision to take an indefinite sabbatical from tennis in a recent interview.

Speaking to a Latvian channel, Sevastova cited her inability to perform at the desired level as one of the reasons behind her decision to take some time off. The country's second-highest ranked women's singles player after Jelena Ostapenko promised to return when she feels confident again.

The 31-year-old started her 2022 season with back-to-back early exits at the Melbourne Summer Set and the Australian Open.

During the interview, she said unspecified factors had kept her from playing her best tennis of late. But she stopped short of divulging any details on what the factors affecting her game were.

"It’s not cool that you can’t show your best game on the field, because there is something disturbing all the time," Sevastova said. "I don’t want to go on the field until I feel 100% confident. I will take a longer break now. I don’t know how long the break will be.”

Sevastova at the 2017 US Open Tennis Championships.

Sevastova said she had arrived at a "difficult" decision as she wanted to invest time in her health and sort out her injuries. However, she did not want to go into the details of her injuries as it was "private information."

“It’s a difficult decision, but – sport is not a lifetime," Sevastova said. "I hope everyone will respect my decision. After that, I have to live, and I do not want to live with all the injuries.

"I don’t want everyone to know what hurts me and what I have," she added. "It’s private information.”

Anastasija Sevastova currently languishing at 65th in the world rankings

Sevastova at the 2021 Miami Open.

Anastasija Sevastova is currently placed 65th in the WTA rankings. The Latvian's first-round defeat to Magda Linette at Melbourne Park in January was her last competitive match. She currently holds a 1-2 win-loss record for the 2022 season.

Sevastova's best surface is clay, having posted some of the biggest results of her career -- including three of her four WTA tour titles -- on the surface.