Li Na, the biggest tennis star to ever come out of Asia, announced on Friday that she would be retiring from the sport, effective immediately.

Li Na Announces Retirement

Throughout her tenure in tennis, Li Na has battled a number of knee injuries that have threatened to sideline her. The all-star athlete has persisted through the obstacles, but feels that at 32, maintaining a high-level of play while keeping herself healthy seems unrealistic.

“Most people in the tennis world know that my career has been marked by my troubled right knee,” Li Na wrote on Facebook. “The black brace I wear over it when I step on the court has become my tennis birth mark. And while the brace completes my tennis look, the knee problems have at times overtaken my life. After four knee surgeries and hundreds of shots injected into my knee weekly to alleviate swelling and pain, my body is begging me to stop the pounding.”

Earlier this year, Li Na showed no signs of slowing down, achieving a No. 2 rank and winning the Australian Open, her second Grand Slam victory. With those achievements, the tennis star feels like now is a perfect time to gracefully walk away from the sport.

“Winning a Grand Slam title this year and achieving a ranking of World No.2 is the way I would like to leave competitive tennis,” she wrote. “As hard as it’s been to come to this decision, I am at peace with it. I have no regrets. I was not supposed to be here in the first place, remember? Not many people believed in my talent and my abilities, yet I found a way to persevere, to prove them (and sometimes myself!) wrong.”

Though Li Na will no longer play competitive tennis, she will still remain an integral part of the sport in China, continuing to help cultivate the growth of tennis in the region. Already, she is teaming with her management company IMG to make concrete plans to facilitate the sport’s growth.

Li Na wrote in her retirement announcement, “Representing China on the tennis court was an extraordinary privilege and a true honor. Having the unique opportunity to effectively bring more attention to the sport of tennis in China and all over Asia is something I will cherish forever. But in sport, just like in life, all great things must come to an end.”