BREAKING: Tennis Star Who Ended Emma Raducanu’s Wimbledon Run Makes a Heartbreaking, Shocking Announcement That Rocks the Tennis World
Lulu Sun has announced that she is taking an indefinite break from tennis to “enjoy life away” from the courts. The Kiwi ace reached a career-high ranking of No. 39 in the world in 2024, shortly after her best Grand Slam run at Wimbledon. There, Sun reached the quarter-finals as a qualifier, taking out home favourite Emma Raducanu in the round of 16.
The 25-year-old also reached her biggest career final at the WTA 500 event in Monterrey later that summer. Sun also enjoyed a successful 2025 season, but has struggled to rediscover her best form this year, dropping outside of the world’s top 100. And she has now decided to briefly walk away from the sport.
Announcing the news in an Instagram post, the world No. 119 said: “Hi guys, I wanted to take a bit of your time to share something personal with you… In professional tennis, as in life, there is constant pressure to perfect oneself. The physical and mental demands of a competition schedule are relentless and can impact your life in more ways than one.
“With that in mind, I have decided to take some time away from competition to give myself a little space for my wellbeing and to enjoy life beyond the tennis court. It will give me the opportunity to step away from the demands of competition, reset and prepare for what’s ahead.
I find it hard to express how deeply appreciative I am to all my team members, friends, family and fans for their continuous belief in me. Your support and kindness means everything. I am also truly grateful to my sponsors who I’d like to thank for their continued trust and patronage, and for being an important part of my journey.”
Sun has not played since losing in the second round of Wimbledon qualifying in June. Her last main draw tour-level match came in Charleston at the end of March, where she lost to Yulia Putintseva in the first round.
The former world No. 39 has also not won a tour-level match since reaching the Guangzhou Open final as a qualifier last October, where she finished runner-up to Ann Li.
Several tennis players have taken breaks from the sport in recent years. Most notably, Amanda Anisimova announced her own hiatus in 2023 due to burnout. She even attended college for a semester, and returned to competition in 2024. Since then, Anisimova has reached two Grand Slam finals, peaked at No. 3 in the world, and won two WTA 1000 titles.
Former world No. 2 Ons Jabeur also announced her own indefinite break las July, and has since welcomed her first child.
