Former World No.7 Patty Schnyder has announced her retirement from professional tennis for a second time.

The Swiss, who will celebrate her 40th birthday in December, revealed her intentions on social media on Thursday.

"I feel grateful for 20 years professional tennis without a big injury," her post read in part. "Thank you for all the support and to my family. Let's try something new."

After stepping away from the sport from 2011-15, Schnyder returned to tennis following the birth of her daughter Kim.

In all, Schnyder won four titles on the ITF Circuit in her comeback and reached eight finals.

Most notably, she qualified for the US Open this summer, becoming the oldest woman to qualify for a Grand Slam and made her first main draw appearance in Flushing Meadows since 2010. 

She had a hand in christening the first night session inside the new Louis Armstrong Stadium in a first round match against Maria Sharapova - the first meeting between the two in 10 years. 


"It’s such a big event and still, people come to the court and know my name, know my game, and my history," Schnyder said in New York. "It’s a great feeling that they’re out there and supporting me."

In all, Schnyder reached six Grand Slam singles quarterfinals and one semifinal at the 2004 Australian Open, reaching the second week of all four major tournaments.  

She won seven WTA singles titles, and boasted a pair of wins over reigning World No.1s, as well as victories over 11 players who had held or went on to hold the World No.1 ranking in their careers.