Serbian tennis star Filip Krajinovic has said he lived his “boyhood dream” after announcing his immediate retirement from the sport. In an emotional statement, the 32-year-old also said his career had been filled with “unforgettable moments” and issued heartfelt appreciation to the ATP tour.
Krajinovic released the statement shortly after failing to qualify for the US Open.
He was beaten 6-4 6-4 by Austrian player Jurij Rodionov, ensuring he missed out on the Grand Slam event in Flushing Meadows for the second successive year.
The Belgrade-based player took to Instagram to outline his journey into professional tennis, describing how his father took him to play the Jacques Sombor Club on a daily basis. “I spent a wonderful and unforgettable childhood on those beautiful grounds, where I made friends who are still the most important in my life,” he said.
After winning a string of national titles at junior level, Krajinovic moved to America as a teenager. Despite never winning an ATP tournament, he reached a career-high ranking of No.26 back in 2018, and reached the third rounds of both the French and Australian Opens.
In 2017, a year where he won five Challenger Tour titles, he reached the final of the Paris Masters. He was beaten by the American Jack Slack, having become the lowest-ranked player to compete in a Masters 1000 final for nine years.
But ankle injuries derailed his progress, and he steps away from the sport ranked at No. 427 in the rankings. And he expressed nothing but pride at how his career panned out, adding: “I realised my boyhood dream – I shared the field and competed with the best in the history of this sport.
“As in any sport, ups and downs are part of the journey. My journey was a turbulent, interesting, and sometimes, for many, including me, illogical experience. Although the regret of not winning an ATP tournament remains, I am proud of my five ATP finals, including the finals of the Masters in Paris and the prestigious tournament in Queens, which led me to my best ranking, 26th in the world.”
He was also part of the Serbia team that reached the semi-final stage of the 2017 Davis Cup, featuring alongside Novak Djokovic. And he labelled that tournament as the highlight of his time in the game.
“Of course, there is also the best part of my career, which is the Davis Cup, where I had the great honour of sharing the dressing room with the champion generation for 15 years,” he added. “When I look back at everything I have achieved and everything that tennis has given me, I am immensely grateful and happy to have been on this journey, where I made the best friends and experienced unforgettable moments.”
And he concluded by saying: “I want to thank my family, all the coaches and sponsors who were with me until the last moment, until the decision to put an end to this beautiful chapter of life and start a new one. It is with a heavy heart that I would like to announce the end of my professional tennis career. Thanks to the ATP tour, thanks to tennis and all the fans for their support. You will always be in my heart.”
Content Source: www.express.co.uk