Bad Knees Force Carlsson, 22, to End His Tennis Career

Kent Carlsson, a clay court specialist whose highest career ranking was sixth in September, 1988, is retiring from tennis at the age of 22 because of chronic knee problems, Swedish newspapers report.

“Right now my knees feel pretty good, but I have decided to quit and not make a comeback,” said Carlsson, who played his last match at Kitzbuhel, Austria, last July.

Carlsson, who was told a year ago by doctors that he had “the knees of a 60-year-old,” had aimed for a comeback in Madrid on April 30.

“But my right knee hurt badly after practicing hard in Monte Carlo a week or so before my planned comeback,” Carlsson said. “It was the same knee injury that forced me to rest the last nine months.”

Carlsson won nine Grand Prix singles titles, all on clay, and almost $1 million in prize money during his career.