Tennis

2016 Olympic Gold Medalist Monica Puig retires from Tennis

Monica Puig, a gold medalist at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, announced on Monday through a social media post that she is leaving professional tennis at the age of 28.

Puig became the first athlete to win gold for Puerto Rico in any Olympic sport, winning the women's singles in 2016. She was also the first woman to represent her country and win an Olympic medal of any color.

“After a tough 3-year fight with injuries and 4 surgeries, my body had enough,” Puig wrote Monday. “This decision isn’t an easy one because I would’ve loved to retire on my own terms, but sometimes life has other plans and we have to open new doors that lead to exciting possibilities.”

Puig said he will work for ESPN and "explore counselling roles for young, future and future tennis players, as well as programs and academies."

She left the tennis court with a career record of 303-215, in addition to winning the Summer Games, he won the WTA singles title, which is the best position in his career. $ 27 million worth of prize money.

Puig stopped playing the first set of his last tournament match last month in France against Fiona Ferro. He plays in another official match of the season, the Madrid Open, and loses to Australian Open runner-up Danielle Collins.

Otherwise, Puig has not fought since losing in the first round of the French Open in October 2020.

In June 2021, he announced that he would have to sit at the Tokyo Olympics and the rest of last season after right shoulder surgery. It was his second operation to repair a rotator cuff and biceps tendon.

Puig also underwent right elbow surgery in December 2019.