"The sport gave me cherished friendships, an ability to travel the world, and opportunities to create incredible memories"
Friday 16 March 2018 18:18, UK
Tommy Haas has announced his retirement from tennis, ending a career that spanned more than two decades.
Former world No 2 Haas, who won 15 singles titles throughout his career, announced his retirement from the ATP Tour on Thursday at Indian Wells, where he is the tournament director.
The 39-year-old German announced his decision in an emotional speech shortly after his close friend Roger Federer's quarter-final victory over South Korea's Hyeon Chung.
"I consider myself extremely fortunate that I was able to play professional tennis for a living for more than two decades," Haas said. "The sport gave me cherished friendships, an ability to travel the world, and opportunities to create incredible memories.
"It also taught me a lot about what it means to face challenges, battle back, and overcome them.
"To my parents, family, wife and children, thank you for all the love and support that you gave me over the years. And, to the fans, thank you for cheering me on throughout my career."
Haas, who turned professional in 1996, reached the Australian Open semi-finals three times - in 1999, 2002 and 2007 - as well as the last-four at Wimbledon in 2009. His most recent singles titles came in 2013 when he won in Vienna and Munich.
Haas, who won the silver medal for Germany at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, finishes his career with 569 wins - the last of which was a memorable victory over Federer at Stuttgart last year.
You can watch the semi-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 from Indian Wells on Sky Sports Arena from 6pm this Saturday with the final at 8pm on Sky Sports Arena & Sky Sports Main Event.
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