Venus hails Diyas as 'inspiration' after Kazakh announces retirement

Former World No. 31 Zarina Diyas -- a stalwart for Kazakh tennis over the last two decades -- announced her retirement from the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz on Friday, and her career earned praise from an all-time great.

The Almaty native first broke through as a teenager when, days after turning 17 in 2010, she shocked then-World No. 7 Jelena Jankovic for her first career Top 10 win. Though her career was slowed at times by shoulder and wrist injuries that required surgery, Diyas went on to peak at a career-high ranking of No. 31 in 2015. She twice reached the fourth round at Wimbledon, represented Kazakhstan at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, and played 28 Grand Slam main draws. The last of those came in Australia this year, as a result of winning the AO Asia-Pacific Wildcard Play-off in December. 

In an emotional Instagram post announcing her "next chapter," Diyas called her decade-plus on tour an "incredible journey" for "a girl from Almaty, who since childhood dreamed of playing in world arenas, winning tournaments and becoming one of the best in the world."

The Kazakh's heartfelt sign-off caught the attention of former World No. 1 Venus Williams, who split two career meetings against Diyas. Williams called Diyas an "inspiration" in a comment on the post, and said she'll miss her on the court.

"Thanks Venus!" Diyas replied. "[It] means the world."

Diyas received a home-court farewell on Saturday on Day 2 of Kazakhstan's Billie Jean King Cup Qualifier tie against Canada. She recorded 20 match wins for the national team in her career with a 15-5 mark in singles. Her 15 singles wins ranks second behind Yulia Putintseva all-time in team history.

"Tennis gave me a lot, it taught me to be strong, not to give up, to keep going no matter what," Diyas' statement also said. "There were difficult periods, but there were also victories, emotions and moments that cannot be described in words … and it is impossible to forget.

"[I'm] leaving feeling proud, grateful and dignified and with a huge love of tennis that will forever be a part of me."