Francesca Schiavone Retires From Tennis

Schiavone runs for a forehand — Francesca Schiavone

Francesca Schiavone Retires From Tennis

(September 5, 2018) FLUSHING MEADOWS, NY – Italy’s Francesca Schiavone announced her retirement at the US Open during a new conference. Her career included eight WTA singles titles and seven WTA doubles titles in 22 seasons.

Schiavone became the first Italian woman to win a major singles title at 2010 Roland Garros. She also became the first Italian to reach the WTA Top 5, earning a career-high singles ranking of WTA World No.4 in January 2011.

FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: Hi to everybody. Thanks to be here. It is, for me, a very important moment of my life. I arrive this decision to say good-bye to the tennis with my heart, because my head, when I arrive here, say, Please go to the court, fight, because I can beat many other players. But my heart say that I am in peace like this, that I am very happy about my career, my life, and everything. So I wake up in the morning, and I feel good.

When I was 18 years old, I had two dreams. First one was to win Roland Garros, and the second I was to become top 10 in the world. I accomplish that. So I’m very, very happy and lucky that, as we say in Italia, “It’s done. This part is done.”

After 20 years of career and life, I have new dreams. The heart I think need dreams every day of the life. My new dream is to come here with a player and to be in a Grand Slam as a coach. Be fantastic emotion for me. For sure, to help some players to reach them goals.

I’m already coaching from some months, and I can say that it’s totally different, but there is a part that is a passion that I feel for the sport that bring me to the court and to share all that I know to some guys and girls that want to learn. For sure one of these, one of the most things that are learning with this sport is to be a simple person, to be a human person, to have a good attitude.

I think we have many examples on the court, like Roger, Rafa, Serena, Venus. It’s great for me to have had a chance to play and grow up with them. Sport is life. Because now that I am out from the court, I can say that everything that happen inside here is something special. We are always protect. When you are out, you have to fight with different things. Now I am very happy that I found the way to fight, to go over my limits, to be every day much more Francesca. I lost myself, but what can I say (smiling)?

Thanks, first of all, my family, my parents. Grazie, Mamma. Grazie, Papa. I want to thank Luigi and Giovanni. Beautiful people for me.

It’s strange because I shouldn’t cry. I should be happy. But it’s like emotion and I can’t control the emotion. Every time that I could play tennis inside the court, it was emotion. That’s why I was a little bit crazy, a little bit up, down. When I was young, everything was passed so much faster, so fast, so quick. And now when I hug someone, when someone stop me and say, Hey, congratulations for everything you did, that’s fantastic for me.

So thanks to all the people that I couldn’t say thanks because it was so fast, my life. Thanks for my fans, to my fans, because they were fantastic. Very happy to be here. Thanks to WTA, to US Open, to give me this fantastic opportunity toward my sponsor, and I would like to tell you something more, but it’s better that I stop and I listen to you now.