<p>The 32-year-old Swiss made her majors bow at Roland Garros in 1996 and suitably chose her 16th successsive French Open to announce her decision.<br /><br />"It's time to close this chapter of my tennis career. It's very emotional," said a tearful Schnyder at a news conference.<br /><br />"I had always wanted to win a Grand Slam title but that will have to remain a dream."<br />Left-hander Schnyder reached a career high of seven in the world in 2005, a year after she had recorded her best Grand Slam peformance of a semi-final at the Australian Open in 2004.<br /><br />But she hit the headlines as a teenager when she hooked up with Rainer Harnecker, a self-styled "natural therapist" who convinced her to give up meat and drink three litres of orange juice a day.<br /><br />Her parents became so concerned for the welfare of their daughter, who by now was Harnecker's girlfriend, that they hired a private detective, Rainer Hofmann to help out.<br />Schnyder's story then took a new twist, worthy of any soap opera, when she split with Harnecker and eventually married Hofmann in December 2003. <br /><br />"Sometimes you have no advice. Nobody knows what to do, how to help you, and then you have to decide," Schnyder said.<br /><br />"I grew up and I developed my personality. It's a tough life. Nothing is just given for free. But I know life can be tough. Life is very similar to tennis, and tennis is life."<br /><br />On Saturday, she admitted that time was catching up with her and having not won a match on clay all year, she believed the time was right to bow out.<br /><br />"I have been very proud to share great moments with all the fans over the world and with so many champions from many decades. It's an overwhelming feeling and now I just need some time," she said.<br /><br />"I felt I had some more years in tennis but the last five weeks on clay I have not been able to push away the desire of wanting to do other things in my life. That's the feeling of my heart.</p>.<p> "And after my first round defeat here (against Sorana Cirstea in straight sets), I dedided I had to do something."<br /><br />Schynder said her best memory would remain her victory on home ground at the Zurich tournament in 2002 where she defeated Lindsay Davenport in the final.<br /><br />She also beat a succession of world number ones in her time including Martina Hingis, Serena Williams, Steffi Graf, Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin as well as current world leader Caroline Wozniacki.<br /><br />"Regrets? That's too strong a word," she added. "When I was a kid, I had so many dreams and some came true. I wanted a Grand Slam title but that will have to remain a dream." </p>
<p>The 32-year-old Swiss made her majors bow at Roland Garros in 1996 and suitably chose her 16th successsive French Open to announce her decision.<br /><br />"It's time to close this chapter of my tennis career. It's very emotional," said a tearful Schnyder at a news conference.<br /><br />"I had always wanted to win a Grand Slam title but that will have to remain a dream."<br />Left-hander Schnyder reached a career high of seven in the world in 2005, a year after she had recorded her best Grand Slam peformance of a semi-final at the Australian Open in 2004.<br /><br />But she hit the headlines as a teenager when she hooked up with Rainer Harnecker, a self-styled "natural therapist" who convinced her to give up meat and drink three litres of orange juice a day.<br /><br />Her parents became so concerned for the welfare of their daughter, who by now was Harnecker's girlfriend, that they hired a private detective, Rainer Hofmann to help out.<br />Schnyder's story then took a new twist, worthy of any soap opera, when she split with Harnecker and eventually married Hofmann in December 2003. <br /><br />"Sometimes you have no advice. Nobody knows what to do, how to help you, and then you have to decide," Schnyder said.<br /><br />"I grew up and I developed my personality. It's a tough life. Nothing is just given for free. But I know life can be tough. Life is very similar to tennis, and tennis is life."<br /><br />On Saturday, she admitted that time was catching up with her and having not won a match on clay all year, she believed the time was right to bow out.<br /><br />"I have been very proud to share great moments with all the fans over the world and with so many champions from many decades. It's an overwhelming feeling and now I just need some time," she said.<br /><br />"I felt I had some more years in tennis but the last five weeks on clay I have not been able to push away the desire of wanting to do other things in my life. That's the feeling of my heart.</p>.<p> "And after my first round defeat here (against Sorana Cirstea in straight sets), I dedided I had to do something."<br /><br />Schynder said her best memory would remain her victory on home ground at the Zurich tournament in 2002 where she defeated Lindsay Davenport in the final.<br /><br />She also beat a succession of world number ones in her time including Martina Hingis, Serena Williams, Steffi Graf, Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin as well as current world leader Caroline Wozniacki.<br /><br />"Regrets? That's too strong a word," she added. "When I was a kid, I had so many dreams and some came true. I wanted a Grand Slam title but that will have to remain a dream." </p>