'Right time to retire', as Parmentier bids farewell

The end came a little sooner than she expected, but Pauline Parmentier says it is “the right time” to retire from tennis following a first-round defeat at 2020 Roland Garros.

The former world No. 40 had originally intended to hang up her rackets at the end of the 2020 season, but felt the time was right at her home Grand Slam.

“I'm very happy to move on, to have a fresh start on a new life,” said the 34-year-old in an interview with L’Equipe following a first-round defeat to Veronika Kudermetova in Paris. “I was at the end of my tennis adventure. I'm sure I quit at the right time.”

Parmentier, who will have one last shot at glory alongside Alize Cornet in the doubles tournament in Paris, admitted that it was ‘weird’ to contemplate a new life away from the sport, but revealed that being able to adapt to a comparatively sedentary life while the tours were suspended earlier this year convinced her that retiring was the right thing to do.

“It really allowed me to see if it was the right decision because it was the fact of travelling, of spending time in hotels that had become difficult for me,” she admitted.

“I was able to play the last few tournaments being very clear in my head, knowing my decision. But I'm still in love with my sport, I like to spend time on the court, to train, to play matches. It's something that I will inevitably miss."

Parmentier won 14 professional singles titles during her career, including four at WTA level and 10 on the ITF World Tennis Tour). Her most recent triumphs came at WTA level in Istanbul and Quebec in 2018, but it was her triumph in the Billie Jean King Cup (then known as Fed Cup) in 2019 that she savours above all others.

Parmentier defeated Irina-Camelia Begu in the fourth match of France’s semi-final clash with Romania in Rouen to stir Julian Benneteau’s side into a rousing comeback from 1-2 down and reach the 2019 Final in dramatic fashion.

In November’s title decider against Australia in Perth, France won another decisive fifth match to seal the nation’s third title - and first in 16 years - in the women’s world cup of tennis.

“I would say the Fed Cup victory was a career highlight,” Parmentier reflected. “Being part of the French team was always a dream. Being able to pick up the trophy at the end of my career, in addition to having really participated with my victory against Romaniain the semi-finals… this whole campaign stands out in my career.”