Petra Kvitova called time on tennis career after 1st round defeat
Kvitova is a two-time Wimbledon champion
She lost 6-1 6-0 to Parry
Petra Kvitova reflected on a "long and amazing journey" after a first-round defeat to Diane Parry at the US Open brought the curtain down on her tennis career.
Kvitova confirmed in June that she would hang up her racket after the final grand slam of the year at Flushing Meadows, having returned to the tour in February.
She missed the entire 2024 season after giving birth to her son Petr, and her nine matches this year brought just one victory, against Irina-Camelia Begu at the Italian Open in May.
Kvitova won both her grand slam titles at Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014, also finishing as runner-up to Naomi Osaka at the 2019 Australian Open after recovering from a knife attack that left her needing surgery on her favoured left hand.
Her 42 WTA Tour-level finals and 31 titles were both the second-most among active players ahead of the US Open, behind Venus Williams (49 titles, 83 finals), but she was only able to take one game off Parry in a 6-1 6-0 defeat.
The 35-year-old was in tears after the match as she paid tribute to her husband and coach Jiri Vanek in an on-court interview.
"Thank you guys, for coming. I hoped I would put on a better show today, but it was really amazing. It's tough to know that it's my last one. It's emotional," Kvitova said.
"Thank you, New York, for an amazing grand slam. I'm very happy to be here for my last dance.
"And thank you to my husband and coach in one person. Thank you to my family back home, my parents, they sacrificed a lot for me at the beginning, and all my ex-coaches as well. It's been a long and amazing journey. Thank you very much."
Data Debrief: Legend Kvitova departs the stage
Kvitova's defeat to Parry marked her 62nd main-draw appearance at a grand slam, as she moved clear of Helena Sukova for the outright most among Czech women.
She captured at least one title in nine successive years from 2011 to 2019, while her first Wimbledon triumph made her the first woman born in the 1990s to win a grand slam title.
