Former top-15 player Tatiana Golovin has announced her intention to return to the WTA Tour, 11 years after she previously retired due to lower back inflammation.
Golovin was just 20 when she was forced to give up tennis back in 2008 due to back trouble, which had seen her miss four months of the season before retiring after six years on tour. Having turned professional aged 14 in 2002, the Frenchwoman won the Mixed Doubles title at the French Open alongside Richard Gasquet just two years later.
The Frenchwoman also reached a career high of 12th on the WTA singles rankings in February 2008, winning two WTA singles titles and reaching a further five finals, as well as reaching the quarterfinals of the US Open in 2006 and the second week of both the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2004.
Since her retirement, Golovin has spent most of her time working for French TV as a pundit during the Grand Slam tournaments, though revealed in an interview with Bein Sports that over the past 18 months doctors have consulted her about treatments for her back condition which will enable her to return to tennis after over a decade out.
“The goal was to be ready early next year, but things are going fast and I plan today to resume maybe as of mid-October,“ Golovin commented, adding later that, “I was mourning my career at just 20 years old, maybe I can take it back today.”
Golovin’s announcement comes just a day after former world number one and four-time Grand Slam champion Kim Clijsters announced her plans to return to the sport in 2020.