Tennis is not just a sport for its players. It is their love, lifeline, and passion. During COVID-19, the players could not compete because of the danger of the spread of the virus. That in itself took a toll on many players. So, imagine, retiring at the age of 21 years old just because it has affected the player so badly that she has been home-ridden for almost 15 months. Former British junior player, Tanysha Dissanayake, who played alongside former US champion, Emma Raducanu, has taken her leave from the sport with a heavy heart.

She talked about the career highlights of her short-lived career and how she wished to be able to recover and play which seems like a distant dream now.

Fellow junior player of Emma Raducanu announces retirement after suffering prolonged effects of COVID 

Before the pandemic, Dissanayake had played alongside Raducanu in a third-tier event in 2020. She was a player with passion and potential and was close to breaking into the Top 1000 ranking but could not play because of the pandemic. Eventually. she returned and played in Greece in 2021 but got COVID positive after that. After that, she has not been able to recover from the harsh effects of the disease. She stated on her Instagram, “It’s been a crazy journey and I’d do it all again if I could but after over a year of being unwell, it is time to move on.”

Like every other tennis player, she also had dreams of competing in all four grand slam titles. Moreover, she wanted to reach the Top 20 in the WTA rankings. Unfortunately, the admirer of Maria Sharapova had to give up on all of it because of her physical condition. She said, “Deep down I knew that it would be nearly impossible to get back earlier this year, but I kind of just wanted to hold on a little longer.”

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The British player has played against both Leylah Fernandez and Emma Raducanu during her active years in junior tennis. However, with a humble attitude, she said, “I do wish I had another chance to be back there but at the same time I am very grateful that I had the opportunity that not so many people in the world get.”

How is Raducanu doing on the court? 

The British player has not been able to get her grit back in 2022. Therefore, being world no. 70 does not allow her to be in the WTA Finals. Apart from that, both Raducanu and Fernandez have received a lot of criticism from the public because of their performance.

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But the two have maintained their grit and continue to practice. We wish to see the two players get back to their top form next season for sure.