STARNBERG, October 5, 2016

Former world number 83, Julian Reister has retired from professional tennis. The 30-year-old German published a farewell letter on the athletes platform “Playery” on Wednesday.

“We haven’t often seen each other in recent times,” is the beginning of his personal lines, in which he describes his wonderful but also dark moments he experienced during his professional tennis career.

Julian Reister playing football in Monza 2011, where his clinched his first ATP Challenger title.

Career With Ups And Downs

Reister turned pro in 2005 and played most of the time on the ATP Challenger Tour, where he captured five titles. His last came in 2014 in Rome. His biggest success took place in 2010, when he advanced to the third round of the French Open, falling to Roger Federer in front of 15,000 spectators at Roland Garros.

Reister is currently ranked on 631st position and played his last match in the first round of the Szczecin Open in September. He lost to Frenchman Mathias Bourgue in straight sets. Reister had to cope with injuries throughout his career. He had been sidelined from the courts for almost an entire year in 2012 due to shoulder injury, what Reister describes as a “nightmare”.

So he finally decided to put an end to his career. Sharp critics said that he could not get the best out of his talent, but Reister tells that he is certainly happy with his work and his achievements.

Reister earned a total prize money of $858.260. “Dear tennis, you have not made a millionaire out of me, but you gave me priceless experiences and impressions,” he wrote.

You can read his entire blog (in German) here.