Petra Kvitová, the two-time Wimbledon champion and former world No. 2, has announced she will retire after this year’s U.S. Open.
Kvitová, 35, won the Billie Jean King Cup six times with the Czech Republic and has 31 singles titles to her name. She returned to the tour in February, after a 16-month break following the birth of her first child, Petr. Wimbledon has given her a wild card for this year, and with her ranking down at No. 572, she will be reliant on one for entry into the U.S. Open and the events leading up to it. She has won one match in seven events since coming back to tennis.
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“While no such decision is ever easy to make, for me this is a happy moment!” Kvitová wrote Thursday in a post published on X. “I will leave the sport with the biggest smile on my face — the same smile you’ve seen from me on and off court throughout my whole career. Through all these years, I am so incredibly thankful for the unwavering support of my family, my closest friends, my team, and all the incredible fans that have always supported me around the world over all these years.”
With her swinging leftie serve and ability to get forward, Kvitová’s game is perfect for grass. She won her first Wimbledon title in 2011, aged 21 — beating Maria Sharapova in straight sets in the final. Three years later she thrashed Eugenie Bouchard 6-3, 6-0 to win her second title, having only dropped one set throughout.
During matches like that, Kvitová appeared unbeatable — and the expectation was that she would win many more Grand Slams. But her career was cruelly halted in December 2016 after a home invasion apartment in Prostejov, Czech Republic. Kvitová needed an emergency four-hour operation to repair damage to tendons and nerves in her left, playing hand and there were fears that she would never play again.
She confounded expectations by returning five months later at the 2017 French Open, then reaching that year’s U.S. Open quarterfinals as she worked her way back to the top of the sport. In January 2019, she lost a thrilling Australian Open final to Naomi Osaka, which was the closest she ever got to lifting a third Grand Slam title. Winning that match would also have made Kvitová the world No. 1, which eluded her during her peak.
Kvitová reached the semifinals at the following year’s French Open, before going through a quieter period in which she didn’t go beyond the fourth round of a major in three years. She went on hiatus in early 2024.
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“Growing up in my hometown of Fulnek and hitting the first tennis balls with my father on the local courts, I never imagined becoming a professional tennis player, being able to travel the world, and playing in the most beautiful stadiums around the world,” Kvitová wrote Thursday.
“I could not have asked or wished for anything more — tennis has given me everything I have today, and I will continue to be forever grateful to this beautiful sport that I love.”
She will be given a warm farewell at this year’s Wimbledon, where she is the only multiple women’s champion other than the Williams sisters since 1996. The main draw begins June 30.
(Photo: Clive Brunskill / Getty Images)
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