Another Grand Slam winner has added to the list of retirements at this year’s Australian Open, announcing she’s stepping away from the game.
Stan Wawrinka is also making his last appearance at the tournament, though he’s still in the draw after picking up his first win in Melbourne since 2021.
Gael Monfils, on the other hand, has already said goodbye. The former world number six bowed out in the first round and took a moment to reflect on what’s been an eventful career.
Both Wawrinka and Monfils plan to finish their seasons through to 2026. But one Grand Slam champion isn’t waiting any longer and has decided to call it quits immediately.
Latisha Chan confirms retirement from tennis
Latisha Chan has added her name to the list of retirements this year, bringing an end to a career that included four Grand Slam doubles titles.
Chan hasn’t played since the 2024 Paris Olympics and made the announcement through an emotional Instagram post.
In her message, she also mentioned plans for a retirement ceremony at the Australian Open this week.
“Bye bye professional tennis,” Chan wrote in a message translated from Chinese. “To a voyage with a compass only — this was supposed to be a bit sentimental moment, but don’t know why but what comes to mind is the pictures that make people smile.
“I’ve never been very good at saying goodbye, especially to say goodbye to a dream that has been with me for 30 years. Tennis came into my life when I was 6 years old, I didn’t expect to be with me all the way until I was 36 years old.”
The former world number one in doubles finished her message by saying she still plans on staying connected to tennis: “This is not goodbye, I won’t go far, looking forward to returning in another way. Bye bye professional tennis.”
Latisha Chan’s career highlights
Chan picked up 33 WTA titles, including four Grand Slam doubles trophies – one with Martina Hingis in women’s doubles and three mixed titles alongside Ivan Dodig.
The Taiwanese player spent 34 weeks as world number one in doubles. She also cracked the top 50 in singles back in 2007.
Her younger sister, Hao-Ching Chan, is still active on tour and ranked inside the top 40 in doubles.
Hao-Ching is also playing at the Australian Open this year, where her older sister will officially say goodbye to the sport.
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