Kristina Mladenovic shuts down 2021 season, citing physical and mental struggles

Kristina Mladenovic announced on Thursday that she would end her 2021 season following a quarterfinal run at the Zavarovalnica Sava in Portoroz.

“The last few months have been very challenging both physically and mentally and I feel now is the right time to take a break,” she wrote on Instagram.

A former world No. 1 in doubles and No. 10 in singles, Mladenovic amassed a 22-27 record at tour-level events—including qualifying—and reached five quarterfinals on the 250 level, including one semifinal in Lyon.

The brutal season was ultimately unsatisfying for the French star, who began the season ranked inside the Top 50 and will likely end it outside the Top 70.

“I will use this period to rest fully and start training again to prepare for next season,” she concludes. “Thank you all for your support.”

Mladenovic’s best singles season came in 2017, when she cracked the Top 10 on the back of back-to-back runner-up finishes at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix and Mutua Madrid Open. Playing in front of her home fans at Roland Garros, she dethroned defending champion Garbiñe Muguruza en route to the quarterfinals.

One of the most successful doubles players of the last decade, she paired Timea Babos to win two majors in 2020 but opted to focus more on singles in 2021.