Germany’s Kiefer retires to spend time with family
Former German
number one Nicolas Kiefer announced his retirement from tennis on
Thursday, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family.
The 33-year-old won
a men’s doubles silver medal at the 2004 Olympics and clinched the last
of his six ATP titles in 2000, the year in which he achieved a
career-high world ranking of four.
“At the start of
the New Year, you set yourself targets and I’ve achieved mine on Aug 11
of the year which is ending,” Kiefer said on his website
(nicolaskiefer.de).
“With the birth of
our daughter Mabelle Emilienne, my greatest wish has been fulfilled.
From now on, I would like to accompany and shape this new life.
“Therefore, after
deep thought, I’ve decided to end my career as a tennis professional.”
Kiefer looked on course to follow in the footsteps of six-times grand
slam champion Boris Becker when he won the junior titles at the
Australian and U.S. Opens in 1995.
But like many
promising youngsters, he struggled to translate that success on the
main tour and never managed to reach a final of a grand slam.
After reaching the Toronto Masters final in 2008, Kiefer struggled
to shake off a wrist injury and as a result his ranking nosedived to
722nd in the world.
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