Kaja Juvan announces indefinite break to mourn father

WATCH: Juvan reached her first WTA final in Strasbourg last spring with a win over former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova.

Kaja Juvan shared an emotional message on social media Tuesday, revealing plans to take an indefinite break from tennis to mourn her father, whom she lost to cancer in December.

“It’s been a really challenging time,” Juvan wrote on Instagram, “as losing such a close person to me has been the hardest thing in my life, and also something that no one can ever prepare you for.”

Juvan, who earned two Top 10 victories in 2022, peaked at No. 58 in the WTA rankings last June, but admitted to struggling emotionally through the start of this season despite reaching a semifinal at a WTA 125K tournament in Mexico last week.

“Some days are better and some worse, but for now the pain and the sadness are still very much there,” wrote the 22-year-old.

“I managed to win a few matches lately of which I am really proud, but I also see that I have been getting more and more tired,” she added. “With this thought, I decided to slow down with playing normal tournaments for just a few weeks (or whatever will feel right) and I will come back when I am ready to do that.”

Juvan received an outpouring from her fellow players in the comments, including former Roland Garros champion Barbora Krejcikova.

“Kaja, you are super brave girl and we will always have your back,” she wrote. “Stay strong.”

Read Juvan’s full statement on her official Instagram page.