Daniela Hantuchova announces retirement from tennis

Long-time WTA Tour player Daniela Hantuchova has retired from tennis.

The 34-year-old Slovak, who played her first tournament in 1999, made the announcement Thursday on her Facebook account.

''I want to tell you with all my appreciation and happiness inside of me, that the time has come to retire from professional tennis,'' Hantuchova wrote. ''Being part of the WTA, ITF, the Slovak Fed Cup and Olympic team has been the biggest blessing and privilege.''

Hantuchova reached a career high of No. 5 in the rankings and won seven titles, the last in 2015. She was an Australian Open semifinalist in 2008 and also reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and the US Open.