BELARUS TENNIS NEWS • FORMER NO. 1 ATP DOUBLES PLAYER MAX MIRNYI HANGS UP RACKET AFTER 22 YEARS

Written by: Staff on 29th November 2018

BELARUS TENNIS NEWS • FORMER NO. 1 ATP DOUBLES PLAYER MAX MIRNYI HANGS UP RACKET AFTER 22 YEARS

epa01050437 Max Mirnyi of Belarus eyes the ball during his 2nd round match against Guillermo Canas of Argentina for the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, 28 June 2007. EPA/LINDSEY PARNABY EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO COMMERCIAL SALES |

Max Mirnyi of Belarus eyes the ball during his 2nd round match against Guillermo Canas of Argentina for the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, 28 June 2007. EPA/LINDSEY PARNABY

The Belarusian totaled 53 titles in 22 years as a professional tennis player

‘The Beast’ is hanging up his racquet. After 22 years as a professional, Max Mirnyi, former No. 1 player in the ATP Doubles Rankings, has announced his retirement.

“I have come to a decision that the 2018 season was my last year competing professionally,” Mirnyi said. “It was a very difficult choice for me to make as tennis has been my life ever since I can remember myself. I was fortunate to achieve far beyond what a little boy from Minsk, Belarus, could have dreamed of.”

Mirnyi climbed to the top of the ATP Doubles Rankings for the first time on 9 June 2003, and he would spend 57 weeks atop the doubles mountain, good enough for 15th all-time. The Belarusian won 52 tour-level doubles titles (52-46), and Mirnyi recently finished his 20th consecutive doubles campaign inside the Top 100. As a singles player, he ascended as high as No. 18 in the ATP Rankings, and won 244 tour-level matches, including 16 victories against Top 10 opponents.

The six-time men’s doubles Grand Slam winner and 2012 mixed doubles Olympic gold medalist (w/ Victoria Azarenka) qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals 10 times, lifting the trophy in 2006 with Jonas Bjorkman and in 2011 with Daniel Nestor. ‘The Beast’ most recently appeared at the prestigious season finale in 2016, at 39 years old, alongside Treat Huey. Mirnyi also captured 16 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 doubles titles, including the 2003 Miami crown with Roger Federer.

Mirnyi completes his illustrious career with a combined 1,024 match wins in singles and doubles, and he did not slow down in his final season. The 41-year-old, alongside Philipp Oswald, captured titles at the New York Open and the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship.

Read the full story here: https://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/mirnyi-announces-retirement-2018

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