Former World No. 4 Kimiko Date announces retirement

Former World No. 4 Kimiko Date has announced that she will retire from competitive tennis after next month's Japan's Women's Open.

Date, who took a 12-year hiatus from professional tennis after quitting at the peak of her powers in 1996, said on her official blog on Monday that she will add the "full stop" to her career by retiring for the second time.

"I have always been obsessed with competing," Sport24 quoted her as saying.

"But increasingly I've found myself adjusting the length and intensity of training to look after my physical condition. It has not been an easy decision to sever the feeling that I want to get back on court and run around like I used to," she added.

The eight-time WTA Tour singles champion and former Wimbledon semi-finalist further said that now it was the time to put the punctuation point on her tennis career.

The 46-year-old reached the singles semifinals in three of four Grand Slams -- the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon.

The Japan Women's Open is scheduled to take place from September 11-17 in Tokyo.

-ANI