Tauziat brings curtain down

Tauziat will retire at the end of the year

K Clijsters (Bel) bt (7) N Tauziat (Fra) 6-3 3-6 6-2

A tearful Nathalie Tauziat has announced that she will not be returning to Wimbledon and says she intends to retire from tennis at the end of the year.

The seventh seed from France was knocked out of the women's singles in the first round by Belgium's Kim Clijsters.

"This year I wanted to come here and play well and I didn't so that's it - I'm finished," said the 32-year-old.

Tauziat has sparked a row in the game with her controversial book 'The Underside of Women's Tennis'.

Her opinions about the sport - and Anna Kournikova in particular - have upset a lot of her colleagues.

"I've had too much pressure and I've exploded. As the matches went on, the pressure intensified," said Tauziat, breaking down in tears at a press conference.

She said she had decided even before the match that she would retire.

"I didn't feel the same as in past years, I didn't play the same," she said.

Clijsters, ranked 30 in the world, was always going to be a dangerous opponent, especially given Tauziat's shaky preparation on grass this year.

The Belgian, who got in more than 70% of her first serves, gradually took complete control, punching the air in delight when Tauziat returned long to hand her the match.