Over the years, we have seen many great tennis stars. While a few started well and faded away later, others maintained their consistency. However, one thing is common among them all, they loved the sport. But, there’s a different category of tennis players who hate it, irrespective of their level of success on the professional circuit. Andre Agassi is one of the most renowned names who hated the sport, and Andrea Jaeger is another.

While Agassi continued playing, Jaeger quit midway even after a highly successful run. It might sound strange, but the American had her reasons. She hated the sport and the competitiveness that came with it. Meanwhile, she also faced the accusation of consuming banned substances. Later in an interview, she opened up about the same.

Andrea Jaeger on drug abuse in the WTA circuit in her time

Jaeger was very young when she stepped into the highly competitive WTA tour. With competitiveness, came unfair ways of outperforming your opponents, such as taking performance-enhancing drugs. Jaeger, still very young, did not know what she was going to see in the WTA circuit.

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While she claimed to know a lot about malicious practices going on in her time, the American refuses claims of consuming any banned substances herself. Here’s what she said.

“Was I a victim of players’ or staff ignorance relating to drugs and other situations on the circuit? Did I know players who talked to me about having cocaine and could give me some? Yes. I never took anyone up on that offer. Was I told by a trainer that they could get me steroids and who they gave them to already? Yes. Did I take them or request any, ever? No.” 

Further, the former world number two added, “Besides, I was looking for a way out, not a way to stay longer.”

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Jaeger left tennis at a very young age. After retirement, she dedicated herself completely to community service. She also became a nun and continued doing various philanthropic activities. Possibly good counseling or peer-to-peer talk rather than the extreme competition would have helped her stay on the circuit. However, as it turned out, her career lasted only five years.

Jaeger’s brief but effective career

At the age of just 15 years and 19 days, she became the youngest tennis player of her time to get a seeding at Wimbledon in 1980. In that tournament, she defeated the former Wimbledon champion, Virginia Wade, in the round of 16. Later that year, playing in the US Open, she reached the semifinals as well.

The American made it to the world number two spot at the tender age of 16 years. She continued her brilliant form and was regular in the top stages of Grand Slam events and defeated legends like Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King.

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Jaeger suffered a major shoulder injury when she was 19 and never returned after that. Do you think with proper guidance and help Jaeger could have become the next big thing in American tennis? Let us know in the comments.