The sounds of 'Pome!' bid farewell: Dominika Cibulkova retires at 30

Former Australian Open finalist Dominika Cibulkova has announced her retirement from tennis at the age of 30.

The winner of eight WTA titles, Cibulkova's last triumph will go into the books as her greatest, having lifted the WTA Finals crown in Singapore to close out the 2016 season. Her final on-court appearance came in May at Roland Garros, where she lost her opener to Aryna Sabalenka.

"What started as a recurring Achilles injury, developed into one of the most difficult moments in my life – deciding on what to do with my tennis career. After a lot of thinking, talks, and support from my family, friends, and my team, I have finally decided that I will not be returning to the courts as a competitive player," Cibulkova shared on Instagram.

"It is a moment filled with so many feelings: sadness, fear of the unknown, but also excitement of what life will bring in the future. I was one of the luckiest kids to stumble upon the road of a tennis player thanks to my wonderful parents and I will be forever grateful for their unconditional support."

At 5’ 3’’, what Cibulkova may have lacked in an imposing physical stature across the net was negated by her ruthless ball-striking, speed around the court and dogged spirit, anchored by her signature reaction, "Pome!". In addition to her 2014 runner-up finish in Melbourne, the Slovakian reached the semifinals at the French Open, was a quarterfinalist at Wimbledon and US Open and peaked at No. 4 in the WTA rankings. On five occasions, Cibulkova toppled a world No. 1 and she represented her country at two Olympic Games.

“I was never a person who wanted to prove people wrong. I knew I was good, so I wasn’t trying to play for strangers,” Cibulkova said in an interview with the WTA website. “Singapore was the moment where I could say, ‘This is why I was playing tennis my whole life.’”

Cibulkova's announcement was done in tandem with the release of her autobiography, Tenis je môj život, in Bratislava. The memoir fittingly translates to Tennis Is My Life and she has plans to release an English version in the near future.