Kontaveit cut her 2022 season short in October and then took another two-month break this February to focus on her back issue.

Four months on, she has come to the conclusion that it isn't one that can be resolved, and is retiring from the sport as a result, playing her final matches at Wimbledon.

"After several doctor's visits and consultations with my medical team, I have been advised that I have lumbar disc degeneration in my back," she wrote on Instagram on Tuesday.

"This does not allow for full-scale training or continued competition. Therefore, it is impossible to continue at the top level in such a highly competitive field.

"I am ready for new challenges after my last effort as a professional tennis player - to enjoy the game and compete as hard as I can at Wimbledon."

Kontaveit, now ranked 79th in the world, exited the Australian Open in the second round and has not played since a first-round defeat at the French Open in May.

A quarter-final run at Melbourne Park in 2020 is her best Grand Slam result to date.

Kontaveit won four titles and reached the WTA Finals in a breakthrough 2021 season and was ranked world number two last September at the US Open, where she lost to Serena Williams in the second round.