Anke Huber to retire from tennis in January 2002
Hamburg, Germany, July 23, 2001- Anke Huber, 25 years old and currently ranked
No. 22 on the Sanex WTA Tour, announced yesterday that she will retire from tennis
following the 2002 Australian Open.
Born in Bruchsal, Germany, and living in Salzburg, Austria, Huber has always been
liked by journalists, staff and fans alike.
In Hamburg for Fed Cup, Anke talked about her life in tennis, and what the future holds.
"I'm looking forward to a different life. I had a great time, and loved my life in tennis but
I have been playing for a long time, and I'm looking forward to something new," Huber
said. "Tennis has given me so much, so many opportunities to see the world and meet
wonderful people, and I hope these opportunities will still come to me in different ways."
Probably best known for her aggressive baseline power game, she reached the final at
the Australian Open in 1996, and the Tour Championships in 1995. She has captured
12 Sanex WTA Tour singles titles including two last year in Estoril and Sopot. Her highest
singles ranking came in 1996 when she reached World No. 4, and for the majority of her
career, her ranking has been firmly in the Top 10.
Her most recent success came when she reached the quarterfinals at the 2001
Ericsson Open, and was a finalist at the 2001 Paris Indoors.
Anke is next scheduled to play Los Angeles, Toronto, New Haven and the US Open.
She will participate in the European indoors as well, although those plans are not
yet finalized.
"I am committed to completing this year, and am glad to be able to finish out the
season. I will enjoy each tournament differently, knowing they will be my last
ones in those cities," Huber said. "I am a bit sentimental about The Australian
Open since my career really began in Melbourne, and that's where I had my greatest
success with the final against Monica Seles. I want to go there one more time."
"After my tennis is finished, I'm going to relax, take a little time for myself. A few
months ago, I bought a new house in Majorca, but I haven't been able to spend any
time there yet, so it will be nice to use it at last."
After a bit of time relaxing, no doubt the world of tennis will clamor for her to
become involved again in some capacity.
"I am hoping to maybe work with the Federation, since I love to work with kids,
and it would be fun to help develop their tennis," she said. "But I also think it
would be good to find something new, maybe something completely different.
But I have a few months to think about it. I am very young, and have my whole
life ahead of me."