'What a ride': Former doubles No. 1 Elena Vesnina announces retirement from tennis

Rafael Nadal isn't the only major winner to say goodbye to tennis this week. Four-time Grand Slam doubles champion, and 16-time finalist, Elena Vesninia announced her own retirement from the sport on Friday with a post to her Instagram account.

The Russian, who took a pair of sabbaticals to have two daughters in her career, played the clay and grass season this year, and the Paris Olympics, before closing the book on her career for good. She returned after the 2023 birth of her second daughter, Anna, at the Mutua Madrid Open in May, and played her fifth Olympics in Paris, where she partnered Ekaterina Alexandrova.

"What a ride this has been," the 38-year-old wrote alongside photos of herself on court through the years. "It’s time now to say goodbye.⁣⁣"

Vesnina's look back at her life in photos to accompany her breaking news began with a snapshot of herself as a young girl more than 30 years ago at Riviera Park in her hometown of Sochi, and highlighted other milestones from her career.

"This little girl with bows and huge racket in her hands has no idea what this sport will bring to her life," Vesnina wrote.

Vesnina was famously one-half of one of the best doubles teams of the 2010s with Ekaterina Makarova, winning not only all four of her women's doubles majors with her compatriot but also the 2016 Olympics and WTA Finals. After winning the last of her 19 career WTA doubles titles in Madrid in 2018, Vesnina gave birth to her first daughter, Elizaveta, that November.

The second chapter of her career, after two seasons on maternity leave, was highlighted by a run to the final at Wimbledon in 2021 with Veronika Kudermetova, as well as mixed doubles finals at Roland Garros and a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics both with Aslan Karatsev.

“As a little girl, I could not have dreamed I would get to play tennis on the biggest stages and achieve such results,” Vesnina said in a statement to the WTA.

"I’m just very happy and thankful for all the memories and support I’ve enjoyed throughout my career—from my fans, my WTA family, my doubles and mixed doubles partners and colleagues on the tour. Tennis has brought me friends for life.”

She was also a Top 15 player in singles, most notably winning the 2017 BNP Paribas Open title. She also reached the semifinals at Wimbledon in 2016.