Rome, 23 May (LaPresse) – ‘I don't know where to start… I can't stop crying because I'm so sad: today was my last singles match in tennis.’ This is how Sara Errani announced her retirement from singles competition on her Instagram profile after losing to Germany's Anna-Lena Friedsam in three sets in the second round of qualifying at Roland Garros. "I don't like being the centre of attention and I didn't want to make a big deal out of this moment… maybe because subconsciously I wanted to play it like any other match, thinking only about fighting and trying to win, without distractions, without strange thoughts or emotions related to the fact that it was my last. But now it's all hit me… Maybe I'm regretting handling it this way, without having all the important people in my life there: my family, my friends, all the people who have accompanied me on this long and crazy journey that is tennis. Without giving this moment the importance it perhaps deserved. But maybe this reflects who I am… I would have felt embarrassed to have everyone there for me, to be the centre of attention,‘ Errani wrote in a long post. ’Pablo (Lozano, ed.)… You have been the most important person on this journey. Twenty-one years in which you accompanied me, taught me how to live, you were the best example I could ever have had. You always believed in me, a hundred thousand times more than I ever believed in myself. You always managed to make me smile, even in the most dramatic situations. We were lucky enough to experience incredible emotions and results. I'm sorry I took time away from you with Pau and Alex, time you'll never get back… but I can only thank you for everything. The love you have given me is what I cherish most, and I'm sorry if, at times, caught up in the competition, I wasn't the person I wanted to be. I love you with all my heart. The dinners and games at the Play, the four of us, are the best thing in the world. I would like to thank my family: my dad, my mum, my brother. You have been my silent strength, my foundation… If I have got this far, it is also and above all thanks to you," concluded Errani, who will now focus solely on doubles.
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