A tearful Amelie Mauresmo calls it a career

Amélie Mauresmo fought back tears today as she announced her retirement from tennis.

“It’s a bit sad, but this is the right decision,” Mauresmo said at a press conference. “I was lucky enough to have an exceptional career and to experience very strong feelings on the court.”

She shed some tears and added: “I don’t want to train anymore. I had to make a decision, which became evident in the last few months and weeks. When you grew older, it’s more difficult to stay at the top.”

She steps away from the pro tennis tour ranked 21st, far from the number one rank she first achieved briefly in Sept. 2004 then recaptured for much of 2006 when she won Wimbledon and the Australian Open. Other significant titles include the Olympic silver medal in Athens in 2004, the Fed Cup with France in 2003 and the WTA Tour championship in 2005.

Amelie has been openly gay for most of her career and was the first player from France—male or female— to reach the No. 1 spot.

She’s a future Hall of Famer who seems to be leaving her sport with no regrets: “I dreamt of this career, I dreamt of winning a Grand Slam title. I lifted trophies in every city in the world and I lived 10 magical and unbelievable years.”

WTA Tour chairman Stacey Allaster had kind words Thursday for this lovely French star: “Amelie will go down in history as one of the best players of her generation and a terrific ambassador for women’s tennis. Amelie is an extraordinary player, one of the nicest and friendliest personalities on Tour, and a true champion both in tennis and in life.”