Rio silver medalist Angelique Kerber to retire after Olympics

Rio Olympic silver medalist Angelique Kerber , who won three different Grand Slam titles, will retire from tennis after the Paris Games, the German said Thursday.

Former world No. 1 Kerber, 36, finished runner-up to Puerto Rican Monica Puig at Rio in 2016 and won the Australian Open and US Open titles that year.

The left-hander won Wimbledon in 2018 and reached the quarterfinals on the red clay of Roland Garros twice.

"Before the @Olympics begin, I can already say that I will never forget #Paris2024, because it will be my last professional tournament as a tennis player," Kerber wrote on social media.

"I took the toughest decision of my life today. It's really not so easy to make such a big decision. If I could I would play forever but there should be a time," she said after the draw.

Kerber returned to the WTA Tour this season after 18 months on a maternity break and bows out with 14 tournament wins in her career.

"Paris 2024 will mark the finish line of the most incredible journey I could have ever dreamed of growing up with a racket in my hand," Kerber added.

The Paris Olympic tennis tournament runs from Saturday through Aug. 4 at Roland Garros.