Flavia Pennetta is leaving her sport the way most athletes aspire to: as a champion.
The 33-year-old Italian tennis player defeated countrywoman and friend Roberta Vinci in the finals of the US Open Saturday 7-6, 6-2 and announced in her postmatch interview that she would be retiring.
“It’s what every player wants to do — go out with this kind of trophy,” she said. “This one was my last match, and I couldn’t think of a better way (to go out).”
Congratulations to Pennetta on a storybook exit from tennis. This was her first and only major title, as she had previously reached the semis at Flushing Meadows once and the quarters four times without winning it all.
Here is video of her interview:
What a way to go out.
