Dutchman Richard Krajicek announced his retirement from tennis on Thursday.

The 31-year-old 1996 Wimbledon champion, who pulled out of this year's Wimbledon championships earlier in the week because of a long-standing elbow injury, made the announcement at the Ordina Open, where he lost in the first round on Tuesday.

Krajicek, who reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals last year after a 20-month spell out of the game, had been drawn to play defending champion Lleyton Hewitt of Australia in the second round at Wimbledon.

In 1996 he became the first Dutchman to win Wimbledon, after beating Pete Sampras in the quarter-finals, interrupting and the American's run of seven wins.

He went on to beat Malivai Washington of the United States in the final.

He won 17 ATP titles in 14 years on the tour, earning almost 10 million dollars in prize-money.