Haddad Maia ends season to focus on health: 'I will be back stronger'

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian tennis player Beatriz Haddad Maia is ending her season early to focus on her health.

The 40th-ranked Haddad Maia made the announcement in an Instagram post on Monday.

"I'm ending my 2025 season a little earlier than planned so I can rest my body and mind for a longer period," she wrote. "Be sure that I will be back stronger and the best is yet to come."

Last week at a WTA tournament in Seoul, the 29-year-old player had trouble breathing during a match and her hands were shaking while she rested between games. A physiotherapist checked her blood pressure before she kept playing.

Haddad Maia, who was the defending champion in Seoul, won that first-round match but lost in the round of 16 to Ella Seidel. The Brazilian led 5-2 in the third set and had a match point, but lost the last five games in a row.

Haddad Maia, a former top-10 player, lost 26 of her 42 matches in 2025.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis