Mikhail Kukushkin, the former world No. 39, has announced his retirement from professional tennis after a 20-year career. The Kazakh player chose an unusual platform for the emotional farewell message.
Kukushkin made the announcement on LinkedIn, drawing attention from tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg. Rothenberg noted on the platform that Kukushkin might be the first tennis player to announce retirement there.
In his post, Kukushkin described tennis as his life since childhood. He wrote that the sport taught him to dream, fight, deal with defeat, appreciate victory, and never give up.
Kukushkin plans to end his career at the 2026 Almaty Open in October. That event will mark his first Tour-level appearance of the year after competing exclusively at the Challenger level, where he recorded 38 matches and one runner-up finish.
The 38-year-old debuted on the Tour in 2006 and began representing Kazakhstan in 2008. He achieved several milestones for his country, including a fourth-round run at the 2012 Australian Open.