Veteran Arthurs calls its quits after loss
LONDON: Wayne Arthurs confirmed his Wimbledon defeat against Jonas Bjorkman was the final singles match of his 17-year career.
Arthurs, 36, had been contemplating going back on the decision to retire at the end of the tournament if he reached the quarter-finals at the All-England Club.
But Bjorkman, 35, produced a ruthless display to inflict a 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 third round loss that effectively marked the end of the Australian's tennis journey.
Arthurs still has doubles commitments at Wimbledon, but once those are finished the leftie will hang up his racket.
"I'm done, I'll be retiring after the tournament," he said. "It was very emotional at the end.
"The stage was set in the last couple of games. A big cloud came over the court, it got very dark and it felt like the end of my career was coming over my head.
"There was a small possibility I might have carried on. That would have been the fairytale, but I had the dream to make it here and I've landed somewhere between, so I can't complain."
Arthurs will now take several months of well-earned rest, but he won't walk away from tennis for good. He wants to put something back into the game and a coaching job with Tennis Australia could be on the cards.
Winning his first singles title in Scottsdale in 2005 was a memorable moment for Arthurs but, as he looked back on his career, it was the Davis Cup memories that burned the brightest.
"Davis Cup has been a huge part of my career since 1999. I've never won a Grand Slam, and that's as close as I've come to winning huge events. I've never taken a backwards step in playing for Australia. Winning it in 2003 is right up there.
"Another big moment was playing the fifth rubber in Davis Cup, even though I lost, because I got unbelievable support from the Australian public after that match. It's a very memorable day for the wrong reasons but also for a lot of the right reasons."
Arthurs was presented with a wheelchair by Wimbledon changing room assistants in joking tribute to his victory over world number seven Tommy Robredo in the previous round. This time he went back to the locker room to be greeted by a banner saying 'Well done, Wayne' despite his defeat.
But the exertions of playing three qualifying matches and then going straight into a Grand Slam finally seemed to have caught up with him.
AFP
(China Daily 07/04/2007 page23)
