  Mario Ancic of Croatia celebrates his victory over fifth seed Tim Henman of Britain in their quarter final match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, June 30, 2004. (REUTERS/Ian Hodgson) |
SPLIT, Croatia -- Croatia's Mario Ancic has decided to retire from the ATP World Tour.
Plagued by injuries and illness during his tennis career, Ancic will now turn his focus to a career in law. He called it quits after 10 years.
"It was one of the toughest decisions I ever had to make," Ancic said. "I'm only 26, but my body said I would not be able to continue on a high level."
"I was advised to either undergo surgery or go through a conservative method, but I had no guarantee with either option."
In 2008, Ancic graduated from the University of Split with a degree in law.
The 6-foot-5 Croat made his Grand Slam debut at Wimbledon in 2002, upsetting a seventh-seeded Roger Federer in the opening round. Federer didn't lose again at the All England Club until Rafael beat him in the final there six years later.
Ancic captured three titles and reached a career-high No. 7 in the world in 2006. His best-ever Grand Slam showing was a trip into the semifinals at Wimbledon in 2004.
The talented Ancic, who helped Croatia win its lone Davis Cup title in 2005, struggled with mononucleosis in 2007 and had most-recently been slowed by back and knee problems.
