Petra Kvitova admits her game is "not there anymore" and she decided to retire after coming to terms that physically or emotionally she isn't at the level where she needs to be to compete against the best.
Two years ago, the Czech was 33 when she won the WTA 1000 tournament in Indian Wells and also lifted the main glory at the WTA 500 tournament in Berlin.
Half a year later, Kvitova announced in 2024 January that she was pregnant with her first child. After missing the entire 2024 season and the start of this year, the former world No. 2 returned to action in late February. Since then, the two-time Grand Slam champion has posted only a 1-7 record.
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Kvitova, who is currently ranked at No. 540 in the world, announced recently that the US Open would be the last tournament of her career.
Kvitova: I remember how my game was in the past and it is not there anymore
"Im ready to stop. Mentally, I think I cant do it anymore, as well as emotionally and physically. You still remember how you played before, how everything was smooth and I was hitting winners and suddenly its not there. Im totally ready [to retire]. Im not regretting anything. I still love tennis but everything else, waiting for the practices, waiting for the car, waiting for a match, its just tiring. And having a son, its a totally different life. I just want to spend more time with him as well," the 35-year-old admitted.
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As mentioned above, Kvitova was still very competitive and successful just two years ago. But after being out of action for 15 months, she didn't manage to come anywhere near her past form.
After kicking off her post-pregnancy comeback, Kvitova lost her opening four matches before beating Irina Begu in the Rome first round. Since then, the former world No. 2 hasn't clinched a win.
