Lulu Sun, the New Zealand tennis player who ended Emma Raducanu's Wimbledon 2024 campaign, has announced she is taking an indefinite break from the sport to "enjoy life away" from the courts.
The 25-year-old reached a career-high ranking of world No. 39 in 2024, shortly after her best Grand Slam run at Wimbledon, where she reached the quarter-finals as a qualifier and defeated home favourite Raducanu in the round of 16. She also reached her biggest career final at the WTA 500 event in Monterrey later that summer.
Struggles and decision to step away
Sun enjoyed a successful 2025 season but has struggled to rediscover her best form this year, dropping outside the world's top 100. She has not played since losing in the second round of Wimbledon qualifying in June, and her last main draw tour-level match came in Charleston at the end of March, where she lost to Yulia Putintseva in the first round.
The former world No. 39 has also not won a tour-level match since reaching the Guangzhou Open final as a qualifier last October, where she finished runner-up to Ann Li.
Sun's statement and recent trends
Announcing the news in an Instagram post, the world No. 119 said: "Hi guys, I wanted to take a bit of your time to share something personal with you… In professional tennis, as in life, there is constant pressure to perfect oneself. The physical and mental demands of a competition schedule are relentless and can impact your life in more ways than one."
She added: "With that in mind, I have decided to take some time away from competition to give myself a little space for my wellbeing and to enjoy life beyond the tennis court. It will give me the opportunity to step away from the demands of competition, reset and prepare for what's ahead."
Sun expressed gratitude to her team, friends, family, fans, and sponsors, saying: "I find it hard to express how deeply appreciative I am to all my team members, friends, family and fans for their continuous belief in me. Your support and kindness means everything. I am also truly grateful to my sponsors who I'd like to thank for their continued trust and patronage, and for being an important part of my journey."
Several tennis players have taken breaks from the sport in recent years, including Amanda Anisimova, who announced her own hiatus in 2023 due to burnout, and Ons Jabeur, who announced an indefinite break last July and has since welcomed her first child.
