Ex-Wimbledon Champ Stich Says He Will Retire In September

Former Wimbledon champion Michael Stich said he’ll retire in September because of a recurring shoulder injury.

The 28-year-old announced his decision at a news conference in Hamburg, Germany, saying he’ll make his final appearance in Germany’s Davis Cup World Group playoff against Mexico from Sept. 19-21.

“The last months have been frustrating,” Stich said. “The traveling to tournaments was no longer fun.”

Stich, who has won 18 singles titles and nine doubles crowns in a career that has earned him more than $12 million, said he’d play at the French Open and Wimbledon before his retirement.

Born in Pinneberg, Germany, Stich turned professional at the age of 20. He achieved his only Grand Slam singles success at Wimbledon in 1991, where he beat three-time champion and fellow-German Boris Becker.

Stich reached two other Grand Slam finals, losing to Andre Agassi in the 1994 U.S. Open and to Yevgeny Kafelnikov in last year’s French Open. He also helped Germany win the Davis Cup in 1993.

Two years of injuries saw him drop from No. 2 in the ATP world rankings to 26th.

Sweden’s Magnus Norman beat Petr Korda and a rapidly approaching thunderstorm, finishing off the fifth-seeded Czech 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the semifinals of the AT&T Challenge in Duluth, Ga.

Norman advanced to a semifinal match against seventh-seeded Australian Jason Stoltenberg, who led Fernando Meligeni 3-1 when the Brazilian retired because of a hip injury.