Former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic has announced her retirement from professional tennis.
The 29-year-old Serbian revealed her decision Wednesday, citing a drop in form after being out due to injury since August and falling to 63rd in the world rankings.
"I can only play if it is up to my own high standards. I can no longer do that, so it is time to move on," Ivanovic said, according to BBC Sport.
Ivanovic, who has won just 15 matches in 2016, and none since June, was at her peak after winning the 2008 French Open over Dinara Safina.
On the heels of her first and only slam win, she rose to No. 1, where she stayed for 12 weeks, but was never able to replicate her success at Roland Garros, bowing out of both Wimbledon and the US Open that year before the fourth round.
Ivanovic finished the year ranked fifth, dropping to 22nd the following year after failing to advance to the quarterfinals in any of the four Grand Slams. She would rise to fifth in the world again at the end of 2014, but was never able to reclaim the form she displayed in 2008.
The closest the lanky Belgrade-born right-hander came to matching that slam result was a semifinals spot in the 2015 French Open, where she was bested by Czech clay specialist Lucie Safarova. It was the first time she made a major tournament semi in seven years.
An offensive baseliner known for her aggression, Ivanovic arrived on the scene in 2004 when she reached the Junior Wimbledon final, losing to Kateryna Bondarenko.
The following year, she took home fer first WTA title, winning the Canberra international - a result she paired with marquee victories over Nadia Petrova, Vera Zvonareva, and Svetlana Kuznetsova later in the year.
Ivanovic trumped those successes in 2006, topping former World No. 1 Martina Hingis at the Rogers Cup in Montreal before outlasting Jelena Jankovic, Katarina Srebotnik, and the Russian purveyor of power Safina.
If 2006 was her breakthrough, 2007 legitimized her claim as one of tennis' next stars. She made the French Open final, losing in straight sets to Justine Henin-Hardenne, then made it to the Wimbledon semis, losing out to eventual champion Venus Williams.
The 2008 French Open win marked Ivanovic's tennis apex, and from there, an assortment of injuries sidetracked an emerging career.
"It has been a difficult decision but I have so much to celebrate," she admitted Wednesday.
"I began dreaming about playing tennis when I was five and saw Monica Seles playing on TV."
Ailments weren't the only obstacle Ivanovic faced in her career. The perils of stardom and notoriety were difficult to tackle. "I was always very shy, and for me it was very hard to have that much attention," she conceded in 2014, looking back at a career in its twilight.
While injuries and confidence have marred a once-promising career, a characteristically upbeat Ivanovic known for a devastating forehand leaves the game she loves on her own accord, admitting: "I have seen heights I never dreamt of achieving."
