The U.S. Open retired a two-time champion on Monday.
In her first-round morning match, Petra Kvitova retired from professional tennis after losing 6-1, 6-0 to Frenchwoman Dianne Parry at the Grandstand on Day 2 of the year’s Grand Slam finale in Flushing.
Very few fans were there to witness the event, as traffic chaos prevented many from entering the grounds for the 11 a.m. match start.
The 35-year-old, a Wimbledon champion in 2011 and 2014, cried as she waved to the sparse crowd.
“Thank you guys for coming. I hoped I’d put on a better show today but it was really tough to know that maybe it’s my last one,” Kvitova said on the court after the match. “Emotionally it was really tough. So I’m not sure how you’re gonna talk right now after the video and everything but thank you.
“Thank you New York for an amazing Grand Slam. I’m very happy to be here as my last dance. Thank you to my husband and coach, in one person. Thank you for my family back home, my parents, they sacrificed a lot for me at the beginning. And my ex-coaches as well. It’s been a long and amazing journey. Thank you very much.”
The Czech ace, who turned professional in 2006, used a protected ranking to enter the main draw at the U.S. Open.
Kvitova had not made it to the quarterfinals or beyond in any of the Grand Slams since 2020 when she appeared in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and the semifinals at Wimbledon.
She has dropped down to 543rd in the world rankings. She reached as high as No. 2 in October 2011.
Kvitova has endured a lot in her career, including a horrific knife attack in December 2016 by a man who entered her flat on the pretense of needing to inspect her boiler.
She has also previously taken pause from the sport when she gave birth to her son Petr in July 2024.
After her loss on Monday, Kvitova has only won one of her 10 matches this year.
