Andrea Jaeger embarked on a hugely unexpected new career after retiring from tennis.
After turning pro at the age of just 14, Jaeger quickly rose to be ranked the world’s No.2 female tennis player at 16.
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The American defeated almost all the top-ranked tennis stars, in 1980 she became the youngest person ever to be seeded at Wimbledon and beat home favourite Virginia Wade.
Later that same year she became the youngest ever semi-finalist at the US Open.
Jaeger went on to win the French Open alongside Jimmy Arias in mixed doubles in 1981 and also reached the final of Wimbledon at 18, in 1983, losing 6-1, 6-1 to Martina Navratilova.
However, just one year on from her impressive run at the All England Club, a shoulder injury forced her to hang up her racket.
Rather than going into a new role within tennis, or a different sport, she completely switched up what she was doing.
Jaeger, now 59, immediately switched her focus to going to college to study theology and ministry training before eventually becoming a nun.
“I just knew that God existed and that we were friends and had a personal relationship,” she told The Mail in 2008. “None of my family knew I prayed every day of my life.
“In August 2006, I received an associate degree in Ministry Training and Theology. Then I entered a Dominican Sisterhood Programme.
“It’s a strict discipline. I wake at 4am, do my prayers and my spiritual study, then I start work at 5am or 6am fund-raising, scheduling programmes and running those programmes.
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“We have something happening for children somewhere in the world every day.”
When asked if her religious clothing is a permanent fixture, she said: “How often I wear the nun’s habit depends on what I’m doing. I have three of them. They get dirty pretty fast.
“I keep getting the robes stuck in buses and escalators. Once I jumped in a cab and left half of it outside the door. The first week I wore it, at a huge global conference in New York City. A bird went to the bathroom on me.
“I thought that was God’s way of saying, ‘Maybe it’s OK to be a little muddy on the edges – you’re the one who used to dive for balls on the tennis court.’
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“I believe I’ll always be a Sister. I have a joy and love of life and it’s easier to express that in this field.”
Since retiring, Jaeger has revealed she was sexually harassed by an unnamed WTA staff member.
She told the Independent in 2022: “I went with her and her girlfriend in the car. The person was swaying while driving and I remember we hit either some garbage or a mailbox. When we got to my condo, she walked me to the door and tried something on with me.
“She was trying to kiss me. I was so sickened that I was crawling up the stairs inside trying not to throw up so my dad wouldn’t see me.”
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She also had her tennis kit destroyed when on tour and her experiences caused her to avoid the locker rooms when playing in a Wimbledon legends game in 2019.
“I had situations where I’d go to get my racket and the strings would be cut,” she added.
“When I went to put on my shoes, someone had left razor blades inside them.”
Now though, Jaeger is focusing on creating positivity in the world and has done ever since she quit tennis.
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After calling time on her career she sold her car, her jewellery and watches and made charitable donations before setting up her own foundation.
She started by running activity programmes for children with cancer.
Now 38 years on, the Little Star Foundation offers long-term care to ill and neglected children across the US.
Tennis fans may have lost out on watching Jaeger put in stunning performs on the court.
But she’s certainly still bringing plenty of joy the people in the US every year.