'an Amazing Journey' - Twice Wimbledon Champion Kvitova Retires With Us Open Loss

US Open 2025

Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Dates: 24 August-7 September

Coverage: Live power commentaries crossed 5 Live Sport and BBC Sounds, positive unrecorded matter commentaries connected nan BBC Sport website & app

Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova bid an affectional farewell to tennis arsenic she ended her illustrious profession pinch a first-round conclusion astatine nan US Open.

The 35-year-old suffered a 6-1 6-0 nonaccomplishment to France's Diane Parry connected a sparsely-filled Grandstand Stadium connected Monday.

Czech Kvitova said successful June that she would extremity her 18-year profession successful New York.

Kvitova triumphed astatine nan All England Club successful 2011 and 2014, claimed a full of 31 WTA Tour titles and reached a career-high of 2nd successful nan world rankings.

"I wanted to put retired a amended capacity but it was reliable to cognize that possibly it was my past 1 - [I'm] emotional," Kvitova said connected tribunal afterwards.

"It's been a agelong and astonishing journey."

Meanwhile, French erstwhile world number 4 Caroline Garcia besides brought her profession to an extremity aft a 6-4 4-6 6-3 conclusion by Kamila Rakhimova astatine Flushing Meadows.

Kvitova has been a instrumentality favourite for galore years acknowledgment to her immense groundstrokes and booming left-handed serve.

There were fears her profession would extremity prematurely aft she was stabbed successful her near manus by an intruder astatine her location successful 2016.

The onslaught damaged tendons and nerves successful her playing manus but she returned to playing successful June 2017 and went connected to scope nan Australian Open last 2 years later.

In caller years she has fallen down nan rankings and past made nan quarter-finals of a Grand Slam successful 2020.

Kvitova missed nan full 2024 play to person her son, Petr, and only returned to action successful February.

It took her 5 tournaments to registry her first triumph - which came against Irina-Camelia Begu connected clay successful Rome successful May - but that was her only triumph since becoming a mother.

Almost 2 months connected from bidding a tearful goodbye to Wimbledon - which she called her "special place" - Kvitova called clip connected her profession astatine nan tourney wherever she doubly reached nan quarter-finals.

After quickly going down a break against world number 107 Parry, she rallied to scope 40-0 connected service past saved a break constituent to get her first crippled connected nan board.

But that proved to beryllium her only occurrence successful a one-sided first group that Parry wrapped up successful conscionable 25 minutes.

Kvitova exited nan tribunal betwixt sets to regroup - already visibly affectional astatine nan imaginable of this being her past lucifer - but nan 2nd followed a akin pattern.

Winning conscionable 4 points down her ain serve, Kvitova suffered a second-set bagel arsenic Parry saw retired a objective victory.

"Since I aftermath up this morning, I felt it. I felt it would beryllium not good," Kvitova added.

"I couldn't eat. I was really nervous. couldn't move, I couldn't swing, I couldn't do anything.

"It was really difficult but I'm gladsome I did it."

Garcia, who had her champion Grand Slam singles consequence successful New York pinch a semi-final showing successful 2022, announced successful May that it was "time to move on" from tennis.

The 31-year-old has spoken openly astir her intelligence wellness struggles, ending her 2024 play early aft being near "exhausted" by worry and panic attacks.

As good arsenic managing a enarthrosis injury, Garcia said she had been suffering from nan intelligence toll of life connected nan tennis tour.

Despite winning 11 WTA Tour singles titles and 2 Grand Slam doubles trophies successful her career, Garcia said she was fixated connected her failures, alternatively than her successes.

She has antecedently spoken retired astir nan "damaging" abuse tennis players suffer aft going retired successful nan first information astatine past year's US Open.

"The past mates of years for maine were difficult and benignant of dark," Garcia said.

"I almost near past twelvemonth by hating tennis, and I thought it was nan worst athletics retired there.

"But I did a batch of activity connected myself to understand what was going on, do 1 much play and time off it my ain way."