Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova retired from professional tennis at the US Open on Monday, calling time on a career that saw her win 31 titles worldwide.
The 35-year-old Czech, who won Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014 and reached a career-high ranking of No. 2, was beaten 6-1, 6-0 by France’s Diane Parry in the first round in New York, fighting back tears as she hugged her husband and coach, Jiri Vanek, after the match.
“I hoped I would put on a better show today,” Kvitova said in an on-court interview, which followed a video celebrating her career. “But it was tough to know it could be my last match, and emotionally it was very tough as well.
“Thank you, New York, for this amazing Grand Slam. I’m very happy to be here for my last dance.”
The Czech reached one other major final, at the Australian Open in 2019, having returned to the tour in 2017, just six months after she needed career-saving surgery to her left hand after she fought off an intruder who forced his way into her home.
Kvitova had her first child in July 2024 and returned to the tour this March.
