Jang Su-jeong (31, Incheon City Government), who has challenged the global stage as a leading figure in South Korean women's tennis for about a decade, has brought her 25-year athletic career to a close.

Having held her retirement ceremony on October 31 following consistent achievements on the international stage, Jang said, "I did the absolute best I could. While there are some lingering regrets, I think I have no regrets overall."

Jang has claimed a total of 32 singles and doubles titles in senior international competitions, including one singles and one doubles title at Women's Tennis Association (WTA) 125 tournaments, and 12 singles and 18 doubles titles at International Tennis Federation (ITF) events.

She also served as a national team member for 11 years, recording 19 wins and 11 losses overall in the Billie Jean King Cup, a women's world cup of tennis.

Following her parents, who were tennis enthusiasts, as they frequented the courts, Jang first picked up a racket in the first grade of elementary school after seeing her older brother start playing before her.

She began competing in senior tournaments and gaining international experience starting from the second year of middle school.

She first made her name known to tennis fans in 2013 while attending Yangmyung Girls' High School as a senior.


At the time, she emerged as a promising prospect by reaching the singles quarterfinals at the Korea Open, becoming the first South Korean player to do so in the tournament.

However, her athletic career was not always smooth.

In 2014, she was eliminated in the first round of tournaments for nine consecutive weeks, and struggling to adapt to jet lag while changing countries and beds every week was burdensome.

What kept her going was the support of her family and coaches, as well as her deep affection for tennis.

Expressing her gratitude toward her older brother, Jang Kwang-ik, who accompanied her as a tour coach, Jang said, "He is someone who helped me tremendously."

She reflected, "I wasn't a player who particularly enjoyed traveling on the tour. I was able to keep going because I loved tennis so much and had dreams and goals."

Continuing her steady challenges, Jang finally stepped onto the main draw stage of a major tournament singles at the 2022 Australian Open.

It was the fruit of her labor achieved on her 12th attempt, after tasting bitterness in her 11 previous qualifying challenges.

The same year, she won her first-ever WTA 125 singles title at the Swedish Open and reached a career-high singles world ranking of 114th.

Jang recalled, "That was a period when my form was good and I also recorded my personal best ranking."


What held Jang back as she aimed for higher ground was injuries.

Following a foot injury in 2024, she suffered from left knee pain for about a year and a half starting last year.

It hurt even when going up and down stairs, and she experienced difficulties changing directions on the court or serving.

Jang reflected, "The cycle repeated where I would feel better, go out to a tournament, and then things would get worse again, forcing me to retire from matches and return."

Although her knee condition recently improved, it was difficult to regain her past movement and confidence.

Exhausted in both body and mind, Jang decided to retire in August of this year.

Entering the top 100 in the singles world ranking, which she had set as a goal, remained an unfulfilled dream.

Her final competition wearing the Taegeuk mark was the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

It held special meaning as she concluded her national team career alongside head coach Cho Yoon-jeong, with whom she has maintained a connection since her first year of middle school.

The final stage of her athletic career was the National Sports Festival last month.

Although she could not train sufficiently after catching a cold following the Asian Games, she wrapped up her 25-year journey by reaching the women's general division singles quarterfinals.

Jang plans to take a temporary break and contemplate her future career path.

She has also left open the possibility of following in the footsteps of her mentor, head coach Cho Yoon-jeong, by pursuing a path in coaching.

She said, "Since tennis is what I do best, I want to do work where I can be of help."

She added, "I want to thank head coach Kim Il-soon and head coach Cho Yoon-jeong, who shared my athletic career with me, as well as my former teams, the Daegu City Government and Incheon City Government tennis teams. I am deeply engraving the support from fans in my heart. Thank you so much."

(Photo provided by Jang Su-jeong, Yonhap News)