A 27-year-old tennis star — who ranked No. 2 in the world last year — is forced to retire due to a back injury

• Anett Kontaveit — who was the world's No. 2 tennis player last year — is retiring from the sport.
• The 27-year-old announced on Instagram that her back injury "does not allow for full-scale training."
• Last year, Kontaveit told Insider she "never thought that it was possible" to achieve all she had. 

Just one year after reaching a career-high ranking of No. 2 in the world, tennis star Anett Kontaveit is leaving the professional ranks.

The 27-year-old announced on Instagram Tuesday that she had been diagnosed with "lumbar disc degeneration," a disease in which the cartilage supporting the spine deteriorates and causes back pain, per Cleveland Clinic. The condition is often age-related, but it can also be caused by repeated strain. Kontaveit wrote that her condition "does not allow for full-scale training or continued competition."

"Today I am announcing that I am ending my career as a competitive athlete," she posted on Instagram. "It is impossible to continue at the top level in such a highly competitive field."

The Estonian star first went pro in 2010 — when she was just a teenager — and went on to amass six singles titles on the WTA tour. And while she previously told Insider she had ambitions of winning more tournaments, Kontaveit also acknowledged that she had already achieved more than she ever expected she would in the world of tennis.

"I never thought until I was, I mean, maybe after playing juniors or something, I thought that maybe there's a chance that I would get even to the top 100 in the women's game," she told Insider. "So I never thought that it was possible to get this high from a small country."

"It wasn't like I knew that I was gonna be a top player," Kontaveit added. "I never had that."

Her success was unprecedented among Estonians. Kontaveit became the highest-ranked tennis player ever from her country — man or woman — with her No. 2 ranking in 2022 and, the year prior, was the first Estonian to play in the WTA Finals.

In her Instagram post Tuesday, Kontaveit expressed pride that she was able "to bring the Estonian flag to the tennis courts" in such a profound way.

Check out her full statement below: