It’s never easy for an athlete to walk away from the sport they gave so much time and dedication to, right? Take Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Both legends have spoken openly about how, if not for their injuries, they would have played a little longer. But reality often has other plans. Jared Donaldson’s story is a different twist on this familiar theme.

The American looked destined for stardom. In March 2018, Donaldson powered into the Acapulco semifinals. He cracked the world’s top 50 for the first time. His arrival on the big stage felt electric. One of the U.S. tennis’s brightest hopes had landed. Yet, even in that high, pain cast a shadow. It followed him everywhere, promising trouble.

“Honestly, it was a relief to step away from tennis,” Jared Donaldson later shared in 2024. “I remember, just before my second surgery, I was on the phone with someone who basically told me that if it didn’t work out, I’d have to stop and go back to my studies. That conversation was a relief because I was already starting to think about rehabilitation and everything that it entailed.” That moment peeled back the curtain, showing how much the grind of tennis had taken from him before his rise finished.

In 2018, Donaldson sat at No. 48 in the world rankings. At just 22 years old, he had every reason to dream big. A year before, he joined the 2017 Next Gen ATP Finals. He shared the spotlight with Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, and Karen Khachanov. That was elite company. The talent was clear. For a while, he seemed to fit right in. Suddenly, everything shifted.

Persistent knee tendinitis ended his run. His last ATP appearance came at the Miami Masters. He gave it one last shot a year and a half later in Delray Beach. But just four months later, the same knee let him down again. Surgeries followed. Hope lingered. Still, the pain never faded.

By December 2021, tennis circles buzzed with news: Jared Donaldson had accepted the truth. His days as a pro were finished. He closed that chapter and opened another. He traded his racket for textbooks and returned to college. Now, he’s a senior at the University of Pennsylvania, chasing new ambitions and it’s hard to recall his days on the tour.

“I find it very difficult to imagine my life before,” he explained. “It certainly wasn’t my first choice to be 27 and starting my senior year of college. However, I will always be eternally grateful to the University of Pennsylvania. I love studying. In tennis, I simply wanted to improve a little each day.”

Years have ticked by since his last pro serve. Yet Donaldson’s story still floats in tennis conversations. When fans debate today’s rising stars on the Next Gen circuit, his name quietly pops up. Once upon a time, he was one of them.

Jared Donaldson’s final match during the first ATP Next Gen Finals

Donaldson made a splash at the 2016 US Open. Coming out of the qualifiers and stunning everyone by reaching the third round. Even The New York Times couldn’t help but notice, calling him, in their words, “The Unlikeliest of American Teenagers,” and the American wore it like a badge of honor!

The buzz around men’s tennis hit a new beat the following year with the first Next Gen ATP Finals in 2017. Seven of the brightest young stars, all 21 and under, lined up for the event and a wild card rounded out the field. Alexander Zverev was supposed to headline as the top seed, but after scoring a ticket to the ATP Finals, he pulled out, opening the door for Andrey Rublev to lead the pack.

The lineup felt stacked with talents like Daniil Medvedev, Karen Khachanov, and Denis Shapovalov. Repping American tennis, Donaldson stood tall as the world number 54, earning his spot after a killer season that took him to the Cincinnati Open quarterfinals and the third round of Wimbledon.

Heading into Milan as the fifth seed, Donaldson carried plenty of momentum, but things didn’t swing his way. He lost all three of his group matches, leaving Milan without a win but with no shortage of lessons learned. The disappointments didn’t keep him down for long; soon after, he stormed to his first ATP semifinal at the Mexican Open, driving his ranking up to a career-best at world number 48 in 2018.

That blistering run turned out to be the high point. Donaldson struggled from then on, dogged by relentless Patellar tendinitis. He played his final match against Rublev at Indian Wells in 2019 but didn’t hang up his racket officially until 2021.

Since then, Jared Donaldson has swapped the pro tour for college life at UC and lends his insight as a volunteer tennis coach. Sometimes, the story finds a way to work out, even when it takes a few unpredictable turns. What do you think?