Two-time Wimbledon champion, Petra Kvitova, and 2022 WTA Finals champion, Caroline Garcia, both waved farewell to professional tennis after their first-round losses to Diane Parry and Kamila Rakhimova respectively.
Kvitova, who claimed Wimbledon crowns in 2011 and 2014, ends her career with a total of 31 WTA titles and as a former world No 2. The Czech became emotional when the reality of her retirement hit her during a special on-court interview following defeat.
“I wanted to put out a better performance but it was tough to know that maybe it was my last one – [I’m] emotional,” Kvitova told the Grandstand crowd yesterday.
“It’s been a long and amazing journey.”
After a harrowing event in 2016 during which she was stabbed in her left playing hand by an intruder in her home, Kvitova defied the odds in a remarkable comeback that saw her claim a further 12 WTA titles.
But her Grand Slam triumphs remained those two golden victories at SW19 as the big-hitting Czech was unable to add to her major tally. She leaves the sport as a fan favourite, having already secured her legacy as one of the finest of her generation.
Garcia, meanwhile, struck a tone of someone who is ready to leave professional tennis behind her. Talking about the mental struggles she has endured in recent years, it seems clear that it is the right time for the talented Frenchwoman to move on.
“The last couple of years for me were hard and kind of dark,” Garcia said after her own US Open exit.
“I almost left last year by hating tennis, and I thought it was the worst sport out there. But I did a lot of work on myself to understand what was going on, do one more season and leave it my own way.”
