FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 3, 2022 Netherlands' Tim van Rijthoven reacts during his fourth round match against Serbia's Novak Djokovic REUTERS/Hannah Mckay/File Photo
(Reuters) -Tim van Rijthoven has been forced to retire from tennis at the age of 28 after failing to recover from a persistent elbow injury, the Dutchman said.
Van Rijthoven reached the fourth round of Wimbledon as a wildcard in 2022 before losing to Novak Djokovic, and triumphed at 's-Hertogenbosch after defeating then world number two Daniil Medvedev in the final.
He reached a career-high ranking of world number 101 in 2022 but loss of form and injuries saw him drop outside 350 the following year.
"Due to a persistent elbow injury that is not recovering sufficiently despite all rehabilitation and medical procedures, I am forced to say goodbye to the sport I have lived my whole life for," Van Rijthoven posted on social media late on Tuesday.
Beating Medvedev to win his first ATP title in 2022 in front of his home fans would remain one of the "most beautiful moments" of his life, he said.
"And of course the fourth round at Wimbledon, where I got the chance to take on a living legend: Novak Djokovic at Center Court," he added.
"That I got to stand on that stage is something no one will ever take away from me."
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Goa; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
