US Open champion Flavia Pennetta revealed she decided to retire from tennis because it was becoming too difficult to perform regularly and cope with the gruelling schedule.
Pennetta announced her shock retirement during the US Open trophy presentation on Saturday, having just become the oldest woman to win a maiden grand slam courtesy of a 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 victory over fellow Italian Roberta Vinci.
The 33-year-old, who clarified she will play out the remainder of the 2015 WTA season, opened up about the decision during her post-match media conference, claiming she was always going to walk about from the sport regardless of the result at Flushing Meadows.
"It's getting hard for me to compete. This is the important point," Pennetta told reporters.
"When you are in the court, when you have to play 24 weeks in the year, you have to fight every week. And if you don't fight every week in the same way I did today, it's gonna be like bad.
"I don't feel to have this power anymore sometimes.
"Winning or lose today, it was not going to change. The decision was already there. I think this is the best way that someone have - if I have to dream about how I want to finish, I want to stop playing, this is the perfect way.
"Was a really hard decision to make, but I'm really happy that I did it. I'm really happy and proud of myself."
Pennetta, who has a 24-15 win-loss record on tour this season, added: "I had a bad moment also in Roland Garros where I was almost - three days before I was thinking to withdraw myself from the tournament. And then I keep just trying and fight and everything was going pretty good.
"But when you starting to think too much, it's the time like where you have to take like a decision, going or stop. You have to do that. And sometimes we are more scared to take the decision because we don't know what we like or we're going to do after, how is going to be the life after.
"I think it's going to be a pretty good life. I mean, I'm really proud of myself. I think I did everything that I expect. More. Much more, I can say. I mean, it's great to do that for me."