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Rio silver medalist Angelique Kerber to retire after Olympics

Rio Olympic silver medalist Angelique Kerber, who won three Grand Slam titles, will retire from tennis after the Paris Games, the German player said Thursday.

Former world No. 1 Kerber, 36, finished runner-up to Puerto Rican Monica Puig at Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and won the Australian Open and US Open titles that year.

The left-hander won Wimbledon in 2018 and reached the quarterfinals on the red clay of Roland Garros twice.

"Before the @Olympics begin, I can already say that I will never forget #Paris2024, because it will be my last professional tournament as a tennis player," Kerber wrote on social media.

After the draw, Kerber said, "I took the toughest decision of my life today. It's really not so easy to make such a big decision. If I could, I would play forever, but there should be a time."

Kerber returned to the WTA Tour this season after 18 months on a maternity break and bows out with 14 tournament wins in her career.

"Paris 2024 will mark the finish line of the most incredible journey I could have ever dreamed of growing up with a racket in my hand," Kerber said.

The Paris Olympic tennis tournament runs from Saturday through Aug. 4 at Roland Garros.