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Soon-to-retire Anett Kontaveit shed tears while talking to the Estonian media at the press conference after her second-round loss at Wimbledon on Thursday.
The former World No. 2 announced her retirement last month and said that the 2023 Wimbledon Championships would be the last professional tournament of her career.
The 27-year-old's retirement announcement came as a surprise to many, given her young age. In her retirement message, Konateveit stated that she had taken her decision after taking advice from her medical team.
Anett Kontaveit won her first-round match at the Wimbledon Championships and locked horns with Marie Bouzkova in the ensuing round. However, she lost to Bouzkova, 6-1, 6-2, thus ending her singles career.
The Estonian, however, is yet to play the final match of her career as she is also competing in the mixed doubles event, partnering Emil Ruusuvuori.
After her loss in the second round, Kontaveit faced the Estonian media on Thursday. Soon after she was congratulated on her career, the 27-year-old shed tears. She even composed herself by wiping off her tears and responding to the interviewer's question.
"Anett started tearing up as soon as she started talking to Estonian press getting congratulated on her career and sharing her initial thoughts," a tweet describing the situation read.
Earlier in the day, Konataveit's mother, Ülle Milk, broke down in tears watching her daughter wave at the crowd after her second-round defeat at Wimbledon.
Wimbledon 2023: Anett Kontaveit and Emil Ruusuvuori lock horns with Zhaoxuan Yang and Kevin Krawietz in mixed doubles 1R of Wimbledon
Anett Kontaveit has partnered with Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori to play in the mixed doubles event. In the past, the Estonian paired with several players, such as, Elena Rybakina, Shelby Rogers, and most notably Daria Kasatkina.
Kontaveit and Ruusuvuori will take on the duo of Zhaoxuan Yang and Kevin Krawietz in the opening round of the tournament. If the former pair manage to win this round, they will face either Laura Siegemund and Hugo Nys or the Australian duo Matthew Ebden and Ellen Perez in the second round.
The Estonian last played a doubles match in 2022, at the Talinn Open, where she faced the duo of Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Siegemund.
Anett Kontaveit was also the last player Serena Williams beat before hanging up her tennis racquet. At the 2022 US Open, Williams beat Kontaveit in the second round, the American's last professional win on the tour.
