The Australian Open, because of being the first Grand Slam of the year, has brought the usual hype with tennis performances. Fans are awaiting to see the way Jannik Sinner and Madison Keys defend their titles. However, the event has already brought shock to the entire fanbase.

On X, WTA announced that 36-year-old tennis veteran Latisha Chan, who has won four Grand Slams in her career, declared her immediate retirement from professional tennis. This closed a remarkable 22-year chapter that began professionally when she was just 14.

She shared a lengthy Instagram post, conveying her sentiment about the decision.

“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,” she said.

“Lucky to be brave for my dreams with the support of my parents. And on such a special journey, with so many, many people along the way who helped me support me, I can’t help but get red eyes to think of it.”

Tennis was very close to her. Indeed, her performances did speak for themselves.

Latisha spent 34 weeks as World No. 1 in the doubles rankings after a dominant 2017 season, securing 11 doubles titles alongside her sister Chan Hao-Ching and Martina Hingis. However, her journey wasn’t entirely smooth.

In 2014, Latisha Chan was diagnosed with postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS). This made her steer away from singles, where she had once been ranked as high as No. 50, and toward the specialized craft of doubles.

While she will miss tennis’ “daily boring training, never-ending jetlag, and long flights,” she also shared what the sport has taught her.

“It also taught me how to fall and stand up again. Still keep believing in yourself when the whole world doesn’t believe in you,” she wrote.

Chan will be honored at the Australian Open with a retirement ceremony, becoming the first Taiwanese to achieve such recognition at a Grand Slam tournament. And for her, the Australian Open has been a special place.

The Australian Open had been a rollercoaster experience for her

At the Australian Open, Latisha Chan’s tennis career has shown consistency.

In the women’s doubles, she has reached the finals twice. She reached the finals in the mixed doubles once.

In 2007, she got a wild-card entry with Chuang Chia-Jung, and the rest was history.

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Both of them reached the finals of the Australian Open, but the specialty about this achievement was that it was Chan’s first Grand Slam doubles event. They defeated 2006 US Open doubles finalists Dinara Safina and Katarina Srebotnik, and 2006 Australian Open and Wimbledon champions Yan Zi and Zheng Jie.

Chan again came close to glory at the Australian Open in 2015. However, she and her partner were defeated by Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Šafářová.

While Latisha Chan never secured a win at the Australian Open, each close encounter with that Grand Slam glory made her the legendary tennis star that the world recognizes.