Kerber, who won singles titles at the Australian Open, US Open and Wimbledon between 2016 and 2018, returned to the court after an 18-month hiatus earlier this year.
She had missed the entire 2023 season after announcing her pregnancy in August 2022, giving birth to a daughter the following February.
The 36-year-old has fond memories of the Olympics, having claimed silver at Rio 2016, and she sees this year's tournament at Roland-Garros as a fitting place to end her career.
"The finish line. Before the Olympics begin, I can already say that I will never forget Paris 2024, because it will be my last professional tournament as a tennis player," Kerber wrote on Instagram on Thursday.
"Whereas this might actually be the right decision, it will never feel that way. Simply because I love the sport with all my heart and I'm thankful for the memories and opportunities it has given me.
"The Olympics I've participated in so far have been more than just competitions as they represent different chapters of my life as a tennis player: the climb, the peak… and now, the finish line.
"Paris 2024 will mark the finish line of the most incredible journey I could have ever dreamed of, growing up with a racket in my hand.
"There are many more things I want to say and people to thank, which I will do once I completed my last match… but for now, I will take the time and soak up every second of this final episode on court."
The former world number one fought hard, but in the end, could not hold off the sixth seed, who won 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 7-6 (8-6) at Roland-Garros.
The pair traded breaks in the first set, needing a tie-break to separate them before Kerber edged in front. And while the German matched her opponent for much of the second, Zheng won the final three games to force a decider.
It would take another tie-break to decide the winner after a battling third set, and though Kerber rallied after three consecutive match points, she lost her serve on the penultimate point, and Zheng took full advantage.
Zheng will face either world number one Iga Swiatek or Danielle Collins for the right to play for a medal.
Data Debrief: Kerber says goodbye
Kerber announced before the tournament that this was to be her last, and she pushed to the very end in what turned out to be her final game.
The 36-year-old won three grand slams in her career and has already made history in Paris by reaching the most women's singles quarter-finals at the Olympics (three) since 1988, equalling Arantxa Sanchez Vicario.
She is also one of only 15 players to stay 30+ weeks at the world number 1 spot since the WTA Rankings were first published in 1975 (34 weeks in total at #1).
Kerber, who is retiring after the Games, overcame Leylah Fernandez to book her place in the last eight at Roland-Garros.
The former world number one prevailed 6-4 6-3 over Fernandez, who reached the US Open final in 2021.
In the process, Kerber joined Arantxa Sanchez Vicario as the woman with the most quarter-finals appearances (three) in the Olympics singles since tennis returned to the Games in 1988.
Kerber took silver at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
Nadal is widely expected to retire from tennis later this year, with the Olympics set to represent his swansong at Roland-Garros, where he has won 14 French Open titles.
He will play in both the singles and doubles tournaments, partnering current French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz for the latter competition.
Nadal and Alcaraz will face Argentina's fourth-seeded pair Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni in a difficult first-round matchup in the doubles tournament.
Nadal is one of just two players to have won Olympic gold in both singles and doubles since the sport returned to the Games in 1988, doing so at Beijing 2008 (singles) and Rio 2016 (doubles) – Nicolas Massu triumphed over both events at Athens 2004.
In the singles, Nadal will take on Hungary's Marton Fucsovics in the opening round, and the prize could be a second-round date with Djokovic, who faces Australian Matthew Ebden first.
They are on the same side of the draw as third seed Alexander Zverev, who faces Jaume Munar first, and seventh seed Taylor Fritz, who opens against Alexander Bublik.
On the opposite side of the bracket, Alcaraz will start his campaign against Hady Habib, with Britain's Cameron Norrie a potential second-round opponent.
Fourth seed Daniil Medvedev faces Rinky Hijikata in his first match, while fifth seed Alex de Minaur is a potential quarter-final opponent for Alcaraz.
Britain's Andy Murray withdrew from the singles event to concentrate on his doubles bid alongside Dan Evans on Thursday, and the duo will face Kei Nishikori and Taro Daniel of Japan first.
Should they advance, home favourites Arthur Fils and Ugo Humbert could await in round two, with Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul potential quarter-final foes, though the Americans will have to overcome Canada's Milos Raonic and Felix Auger Aliassime to get that far.
Murray and Evans cannot face Nadal and Alcaraz until the final.
Iga Swiatek is the strong favourite in the women's draw, having won four French Open titles on the Paris clay. Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu is her round-one opponent.
On her same side of the draw, there is a huge round-one clash between Naomi Osaka and 2016 silver medallist Angelique Kerber, who announced on Thursday that she will retire after the Games.
Elena Rybakina and Danielle Collins are also on that side of the draw, while Coco Gauff starts against Ajla Tomljanovic on the opposite side of the bracket.
In her final tournament, the German kept her hopes of going out on a high alive, getting a 7-5 6-3 victory in just 69 minutes at the end of a rainy opening day at Roland Garros.
Osaka started strongly, racing into a 3-1 lead, but Kerber fought back and eventually got the vital break in the penultimate game of the set to edge in front.
The two were evenly matched again at the start of the second, but Osaka struggled to maintain her high level and lost her serve twice at the end as Kerber's four-game winning run carried her over the line.
Kerber will now face Jaqueline Cristian of Romania in the second round.
Data Debrief: Going for gold
Kerber won a silver medal in singles at Rio 2016, and she is looking to sign off her glittering career by going one better in Paris.
She asserted her dominance in the second set, particularly, winning 13 of 14 points when she got her first delivery into play.
Kerber also bows out holding a 5-2 head-to-head record over Osaka, who once again struggled on clay.
One week on from losing to Ash Barty in the Wimbledon semi-finals, Kerber said it was "disappointing" to pull out of the Games.
The former Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open champion said in a statement: "The thought of participating at the Olympics has been a constant motivation for me over the past months to push further and keep believing in my goals.
"Representing Germany in London 2012 and Rio 2016 as part of the German team has always been one of my favourite memories of my career so far.
"This makes it even more disappointing for me to accept the fact that my body needs rest after the intense few weeks that lie behind me and that I have to recover first before returning to competition later this summer!
"Thank you for your support, as this has been a very difficult decision for me. Good luck to all my fellow German athletes in Tokyo #TeamDeutschland, I will miss you."
Kerber reached the Olympic final in Rio in 2016 but suffered a shock defeat in the title match to Monica Puig of Puerto Rico, having to settle for the silver medal.
Her absence this year means the field is further depleted, with Serena Williams, Bianca Andreescu, Simona Halep and Sofia Kenin among the high-profile WTA Tour stars who will be absent in Japan. Puig will also miss out after undergoing shoulder surgery.
The men's line-up has been similarly hit, with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem choosing not to play.
Peloton Interactive, Inc. is an exercise equipment and media company that allows monthly subscribers to remotely participate in classes via streaming media.
Inside Hook reported on Wednesday that Peloton announced the Champions Collection for which it was partnering with the likes of Bolt, tennis star Angelique Kerber, surfer John John Florence, Allyson Felix and Andre De Grasse, Paralympic long jumper Scout Bassett, Olympic gymnasts Becky and Ellie Downie, and former world-record-holding swimmer Kathleen Baker.
According to the online publication, athletes will likely not become formal instructors but will probably have pages built out on the platform, where subscribers can follow along with their favourite workouts or playlists.
