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Marjolein Buis announces retirement after a decade at the top
‘Physically it's no longer possible for me to train fulltime and to play three set matches at the highest level’ 23 Oct 2020
Netherlands’ Marjolein Buis has announced her retirement from wheelchair tennis after a glittering career of more than 10 years at the summit of the sport. Buis has been ranked in the world’s top 10 since November 2010 and has won 18 singles and 52 doubles titles.
“Physically it's no longer possible for me to train fulltime and to play three set matches at the highest level. And if I can't give everything it takes to be a top athlete, I don't want to be one,” Buis wrote in a statement on her official website.
“I've also really been enjoying life at home since the coronavirus pandemic. I picked up my studies in clinical psychology and over the past few months I have experienced what my life after tennis may look like. And I really like it! I'm looking forward to my new life.”
Buis reached career-high rankings of No. 3 in singles and No. 1 in doubles. She won a total of six Grand Slam titles – one in singles, at Roland Garros in 2016, and five in doubles.
Among her proudest moments were her two Paralympic medals. Buis and compatriot Esther Vergeer won the women’s doubles gold at London 2012, defeating fellow Dutch players Jiske Griffioen and Aniek van Koot. She also partnered Diede de Groot to the silver medal at Rio 2016, with Griffioen and Van Koot emerging triumphant from that final.
Buis competed at the NEC Wheelchair Masters every year between 2010 and 2019, reaching the semi-finals on seven occasions and recording a 3rd place finish in 2013. She won two titles at the UNIQLO Wheelchair Doubles Masters, partnering De Groot to victory in 2017 and triumphing alongside Van Koot the following year.
“My amazing career would not have been possible without the support of everyone surrounding me,” Buis continued in her statement. “My coaches, trainers, family, friends, sponsors and fans. You all believed in me and in my ambitions and supported me throughout my whole career. I thank you so much for everything you have done for me. It meant the world to me.”
