Rebecca Marino of Canada reacts after her loss to Gisela Dulko of Argentina during their match at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York.RAY STUBBLEBINE/Reuters
Canadian tennis player Rebecca Marino says she's taking a break from tennis for a while.
The 21-year-old Vancouver native who has withdrawn from the last several marquee WTA Tour events, said today that she has been battling mental and physical fatigue, which has kept her off the court longer than anticipated.
"Earlier this year, after suffering from intense physical and mental fatigue, I decided to pull out of some events and take a bit of a break to rest and return stronger," said Marino in a statement.
"As the days went by and became weeks, I realized I would need more than just a few days to fully recover. I have decided to do what's best for my career and make sure I am fully rested before I return to the courts."
After losing in the first round of the Australian Open, Marino pulled out of the Fed Cup Americas Zone Group I event in February. She made a brief return at Memphis a few weeks later, where she had reached her first WTA final a year earlier. But this time, she lost in the opening round. Recently, she withdrew from the WTA Premier events in Indian Wells, Miami and Charleston.
Marino, once ranked as high as No. 38 in the world back in July, has seen her ranking drop to 138.
"Once I am ready to come back, I plan to pick up where I left off," added Marino. "Get my ranking back and challenge the best players in the world."
Marino did not state in her release whether she will still attempt to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics this summer. Only 64 players will qualify for the Olympic women's singles tournament.
Rachel Brady