The dusk is slowly setting in for several veteran players in tennis. Over the past few years, we have seen some legendary names in the form of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Serena Williams bid adieu to the sport. With such a massive void to fill, the list only gets longer. Earlier today, 2-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova played her last match at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament as her retirement nears. After the match, she bid an emotional farewell to her fans and also had a special message for her loved ones.

Kvitova has been on the tour for quite some time now. Having played consistently year after year, the time has come for her to draw curtains on an illustrious career. Recently, she announced that the 2025 season will be the final one of her career. With her loss against Emma Navarro today, Kvitova had played her last match at Wimbledon and was left emotional as she remembered her family’s support and contribution to making her a better tennis player.

During the post-match interview, Petra Kvitova paid an ode to her family, saying, “I didn’t have many tennis coaches through my career. My first one was my dad, who is here today. My last one is my husband. I wanna thank them. All the people in my box. My family as well.” In the end, it all boiled down to the involvement of her family to ensure her success in the sport. If the results are anything to go by, Kvitova’s family worked closely with her and was a massive pillar of support.

Last year, Kvitova gave birth to her first child and missed the entire 2024 season. She made a comeback at the ATX Open this year and, at 35, feels that it is time for her to end her career and focus more on her personal life. Nonetheless, she was excited to play at Wimbledon and said, “It’ll be amazing, for sure. It’s my favorite tournament. It always has been and it always will be. So it’ll be very nice to be back. It’s always brought me so many memories. Some really good memories, of course. But also bad memories, because losing with the pressure there is hard. Even with the two best results of my career, I do feel like sometimes the losses were very, very painful. But at the end of the day, winning two titles is what counts the most.”

With Kvitova retiring later this year, she will play in a handful of tournaments after Wimbledon. The 2-time Wimbledon champion also revealed the difficulties of managing motherhood with her career, which was one of the reasons behind her decision to call it quits. Now, follow the Championships in real-time with EssentiallySports’ Live Blog updates!

Petra Kvitova makes a candid confession on her career alongside motherhood

Recently, the Czech Republic star announced that the US Open this year would be her final tournament. Kvitova gave birth to her son in July last year and doesn’t want to combine motherhood with her career and instead is focusing on her personal life and raising her kid. During an interview, she even addressed the issues that came alongside managing motherhood and career together.

Petra Kvitova revealed, “Traveling together is not easy sometimes, either. The worst part is the logistics that come with it. Having so much stuff. Being in the hotel room can be a little tough, especially when they’re small. He is starting to crawl and everything, so it’s a mess everywhere. But it also is fun. He’s a very good boy, so that makes it all a little bit easier.”

With Kvitova bowing out of Wimbledon early, fans would have to wait to see which tournament she plays next. However, not much time is left in her career and fans will hope that she has one last laugh before she draws down the curtains on her memorable career.