Catherine “CiCi” Bellis was, at one point, one of the most exciting tennis prodigies in the world. She turned professional at the age of only 17. However, what promised to be an exciting career for the American was plagued with consistent injuries.

As a result, she could never perform to her undoubted potential. The American’s continuous struggles with injury have resulted in her making the shocking decision to retire from professional tennis at the age of only 22. 

Catherine “CiCi” Bellis announces shock retirement from tennis

In a surprising announcement, Bellis wanted to update the tennis fans as she hadn’t been on the courts for a while because of her injury struggles.

She said, “last year, after seeing little to no improvement with my arm, I made the decision to stop playing tennis. I had been in the same cycle of rehab, training and injuries for three plus years and mentally/physically just couldn’t do it anymore.”

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Further, she went on to add, “I absolutely love the sport and have nothing but the best memories from my time playing, but it was definitely time to move on.” Bellis further said that she has been using her time out of the sport wisely. She is pursuing business/finance college degree and will be graduating in three months. Further, she will be pursuing an MBA.

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Moreover, Bellis thanked everyone for supporting her throughout her tennis career. The American felt that she was able to push through her injuries for so long due to everyone’s support. She is currently working full-time as an investment analyst for leAD Sports.

Bellis had her breakthrough moment on the WTA Tour when she won a match at the US Open in 2014. Then, only 15 years old, Bellis earned a wildcard for the Slam as she was the USTA Junior National Champion. In her first round match against Dominika Cibulkova, which everyone expected to be a breeze for the Slovak, she shocked the world and won 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.

CiCi had a history of elbow and wrist injuries and because of these struggles, she decided to quit tennis and pursue other ambitions. We wish her the best of luck for the future.

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