Sanchez Lorenzo retires from professional tennis

Players who are not household names like Conchita Martinez and Maria Navratilova retire from pro tennis with hardly anyone noticing except for the people in their home countries. Every year we lose one or two respected players. Shinobu Asagoe retired at the U.S. Open, and today, Maria Sanchez Lorenzo of Spain announced her retirement. Sanchez Lorenzo's back problems are such that she feels it is better for her to just stop playing tennis.

Sanchez Lorenzo had a decent U.S. Open showing, taking a set off of China's star, Li Na, in the first round. She has one WTA Tour singles title, and has been in several finals in both singles and doubles. She also played on the Spanish Fed Cup team, and she was once ranked as high as number 33 in the world. Sanchez Lorenzo is one of the very few players who plays "Monica Seles style" tennis--two-handed on both sides. She retires at the age of 29.