Two-time major winner in mixed doubles, Anna-Lena Groenefeld has hung up her racquet with the aim of starting a family.

Former WTA World No.14 Anna-Lena Groenefeld has called time on her career at the top level of the women’s game.

The winner of one WTA Tour title as a singles player, she enjoyed a fine career on the doubles court, where she reached the heights of World No.7 and made seven major semifinals across the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. Moreover, she enjoyed mixed doubles success at the 2014 French Open and 2009 Wimbledon.

At the age of 34, though, the German will begin a new leg of her life as she aims to start a family.

Posting on social media, she announced: “This little girl had dreams! For the last 18 years, she was able to live one of them! But now it’s time to hopefully fulfil another dream of having a family!

“I want to say thank you to everyone who was by my side through all those years in the ups and the downs! My family, friends and all of you who followed and supported me all these years! Thank you!”

Groenefeld started her professional career in 2003, having become the first German since 1957 to win the junior French Open, becoming junior world No.1 in both singles and doubles disciplines.

She would go on to win Acapulco in 2006 and reach the quarterfinals of the French Open that same year, her best performance in singles, before going on to attain greater success in doubles.

She bows out at WTA World No.11 in doubles, having partnered Demi Schuurs to three Premier 5 finals over the court of 2019, in Rome, Toronto and Cincinnati.

Her final tournament was the 2019 WTA Finals, in which she and Schuurs reached the semifinals.