While a recent bout with Covid-19 didn’t give Petra Kvitova the proper preparation she probably would have liked, the two-time Wimbledon champion did successfully make her farewell to tennis the way she wanted – at the US Open. tripscan войти

After her 6-1, 6-0 defeat to Frenchwoman Diane Parry, Kvitova told reporters after the match she had Covid-19 three weeks ago.

“Yeah, my physicality wasn’t great,” the 35-year-old Czech said. “My lungs are not really working yet, but I hope it will be OK when I’m not practicing now.”

While she did consider not playing in New York after getting the virus, she was determined to fulfill her plan of making the US Open – the last grand slam of the year – the final tournament of her storied career.

Kvitova, who won 31 WTA Tour singles titles, had announced her retirement plans before Wimbledon. Monday at Grandstand, Kvitova was honored on the court after her match.

“I wanted to be playing here, to finish the season, like, with a grand slam and not because the Covid caught me,” Kvitova said.

Kvitova embraces her husband and coach Jiří Vaněk after her final match. Kvitova embraces her husband and coach Jiří Vaněk after her final match. Al Bello/Getty Images Kvitova, a lefty, made her professional debut on the ITF Circuit in 2006. In 2011, she became the first player born in the 1990s to win a grand slam women’s singles title, beating Maria Sharapova. Kvitova won Wimbledon again in 2014, besting Eugenie Bouchard.

Kvitova’s final WTA Tour title came in 2023 on the grass at Berlin. She was ranked as high as No. 2 in the world and had eight top 10 seasons (2011-2015 and 2018-2020). A four-time Olympian, Kvitova won a bronze medal at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

Kvitova notably also was well known throughout the sport for her fair play.

“Throughout her career, Petra has competed with humility and resilience and thrilled tennis audiences with her exciting brand of tennis,” Portia Archer, CEO of the WTA, said in a statement Monday.