German tennis star bids farewell

New Delhi, Sept 1: Germany’s Andrea Petkovic was overcome with emotion after her tennis career effectively ended on Tuesday in a 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 defeat against Swiss Olympic champion Belinda Bencic at the US Open.

Former top 10 player and French Open semi-finalist Petkovic had announced last week that the New York grand slam would be her swansong, although she may appear once more at a smaller event in Europe to give friends and family a final chance to see her play.

“I was really devastated over the last five days,” Petkovic said after the first-round defeat, admitting to “pure sadness.”

What Petkovic, who has worked as a sports journalist and columnist during her career, will do next remains to be seen but she said she would like to continue as a mentor for young talent such as Jule Niemeier who ousted former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin on Tuesday.