Tennis
Prajnesh Gunneswaran calls time on tennis career
Frequent wrist injuries plagued the latter half of his career.
Prajnesh Gunneswaran in action at the Australian Open qualifiers. (Photo Credit: Getty)
Indian tennis professional Prajnesh Gunneswaran, who at the peak of his powers in 2019, attained a career high ATP ranking of No.75 in the world, announced his retirement from professional tennis on Friday.
In a statement on social media, Gunneswaran said that his ‘heart swells with gratitude, pride, and a touch of nostalgia.’
“Today, I step off the competitive tennis court for the last time. For over three decades, this game has been my sanctuary, my greater teacher, and my most faithful companion,” read his statement.
Grand Slam experiences
Born in Chennai, Gunneswaran showed early promise on the ITF tour where he won 8 ITF Futures singles titles.
Progression to the ATP tour, however, was a tall order and Gunneswaran took his time making the transition.
It was in 2016 that he made his first ATP Challenger singles finals in Pune. The following year, he would don national colours in the Davis Cup for the very first time.
In 2018, Gunneswaran represented Indian at the Jakarta Asian Games and won a bronze medal in men’s singles.
The years 2019 and 2020 were perhaps the finest years in his career.
In 2019, he made the first round in all the four grand slams and the following year, he made the first round cut at the Australian Open.
'Thank you tennis'
In his statement, Gunneswaran said that the sport taught him valuable lessons.
“Tennis taugh me discipline, resiience, and the power of dreaming big. It challenged me to dig deep, to grow and to be better-not just as a player but as a human being.”
Over the past couple of season, Gunneswaran has been grappling with wrist injuries. In 2022, he had taken six-weeks off the tour for rehabilitation and had returned to winning ways.
But a recurrence of the injury was a constant worry for the southpaw.
And when calling time on his career, the 35-year-old acknowledged the support of his family and loved ones.
“To my coaches, teammates, and most of all, my family-you have been my backbone. To my fans who cheered me on through the high and lows – I’m deeply grateful. And to the sport that gave me everything – I owe you my heart.”
