Sam keeps any talk of retirement well under wraps
SAM Stosur has a retirement date in mind – she is just wary of telling the rest of us yet.
Stosur, 34, endured a testing 2018 and with a world ranking of 74, she is headed for her lowest year- end finish since 2003.
She will look to set the foundation for a better Australian Open result when she plays at the Brisbane International, having lost in the first round at Melbourne Park in each of her past three campaigns. The Gold Coaster’s modest record in Australian tournaments detracts from her career efforts in the eyes of many compatriots, but her $ US17.76 million in earnings and nine tour titles, including the 2011 US Open, tells a different and much rosier story.
Stosur said she has an idea of when she will retire from the tour but is loath to make the plan public.
“That’s because if you want to keep playing ( beyond the date) you look a bit of a fool and if you quit earlier, you look silly as well,’’ she said.
“I have things in place that I want to do while I’m playing.
“I don’t know how many more Brisbane Internationals or Australian Opens I will have but I still love playing and as long as I can compete, I will.
“It’s a couple of tournaments where, without knowing how many I have left, it would be nice to go out on a high.
“I’m ranked back where I will get into most events again and I feel like it’s all there.
“It ( results in 2018) has been a little disappointing but I managed to go the whole year without getting injured.’’
The former world No. 4 will need a wildcard to avoid having to play Brisbane qualifying, having finished her 2018 season with three straight firstround losses and winning 22 matches in an exhaustive 27tournament season.