Who is CiCi Bellis? All about the retired tennis pro who's now a commentator

After hanging up her racquet for good, CiCi Bellis kicked off her second innings as a tennis commentator this year. The 23-year-old is now working with the Tennis Channel and made her debut on TC Live with Steve Wiesmann.

But prior to this, Bellis had a promising career that was cut short by injuries. Born Catherine Cartan Bellis to Lori and Gordon Bellis, she started playing tennis at the age of three. She was an impressive junior player, ending the 2014 season ranked No. 1 and was crowned the ITF World Champion as well.

Bellis made her WTA main draw debut at the 2014 US Open after receiving a wildcard. She stunned World No. 13 Dominika Cibulkova in the first round, earning a hard-fought three-set victory. At just 15 years of age, she became the youngest player to win a match at the tournament since 1996. However, the American lost to Zarina Diyas in the second round.

Bellis made it to the third round of the 2015 Miami Open, where she lost to Serena Williams. She didn't win a match on the WTA tour after that. At the US Open, she fell in the final round of qualifying.

2016 was CiCi Bellis' breakthrough season. She dominated the ITF circuit, winning three titles and compiling a 37-11 record. She reached her first WTA quarterfinal at Stanford. She also made it to the third round of the US Open, but lost to eventual champion Angelique Kerber.

The American then made it to her second WTA quarterfinal in Quebec City. Bellis won the biggest title of her career at the WTA Challenger in Hawaii in November. and ended the year ranked No. 75.

The 2017 season marked the beginning of Bellis' injury woes. She missed the start of the year due to hip and hamstring issues. She returned to action at the Dubai Tennis Championships, where she scored her first win over a top 10 player. She defeated World No. 6 Agnieszka Radwanksa before losing to Caroline Wozniacki in the quarterfinals.

Bellis then made it to the quarterfinals of the Rabat Open and followed it up with successive third-round appearances in Madrid and Rome. Her debut at the French Open went quite well, where she made it to the third round.

Bellis reached her first WTA semifinal at the Mallorca Open. Following another top-10 victory, this over two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, she reached the third round of the Canadian Open. This propelled her to a new career-high ranking of World No. 35.

A multitude of injuries derailed CiCi Bellis' career starting from 2018

CiCi Bellis at the 2017 Bank of the West Classic.

CiCi Bellis had a decent start to the 2018 season. After an early exit from the Australian Open, she made it to the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open. She even notched up another top-10 victory by knocking out World No. 5 Karolina Pliskova in the third round.

Bellis didn't compete at all after her first-round exit from the Miami Open in March due to wrist and elbow injuries. She had four surgeries during the year to deal with her arm, elbow and wrist issues. The American returned to action in November 2019 at a Challenger event, but lost in the third round.

Bellis started the 2020 season by reaching the third round of the Australian Open. After a pandemic-induced break, she reached the quarterfinals of the Lexington Open. At the US Open, she made it to the second round and later won an ITF tournament as well.

Bellis' injury woes resurfaced in 2021, sidelining her once again. On January 20, 2022, she finally decided to call it quits.

Bellis graduated with a degree in finance this year after resuming her studies during her injury break. She's also working as a commentator with the Tennis Channel.

Despite her tennis journey ending on a disappointing note, CiCi Bellis has managed to forge a new and exciting path for herself.