Two-time major champ Petra Kvitova retires at 35

Two-time major champion Petra Kvitova retired from professional tennis following a 6-1, 6-0 loss to France's Diane Parry in the first round of the U.S. Open on Monday.

Kvitova, 35, won Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014 as part of her 31 career singles titles worldwide. The Czech star reached as high as No. 2 in the world rankings, and is a six-time Billie Jean King Cup champion.

A tearful Kvitova hugged her coach and husband, Jiri Vanek, after dropping match point against Parry. An on-court celebration included a video of Kvitova's career.

"I hoped I would put on a better show today, but it was really amazing," Kvitova said in her post-match on-court interview. "It was tough to know that maybe it's my last one and emotional, it was really tough.

"Thank you New York for this amazing Grand Slam. I'm very happy to be here for my last dance."

Kvitova return to the WTA Tour in February following the birth of her first child in July 2024, and announced in June that she planned to make the U.S. Open her final professional tournament. Her final match at Wimbledon was a 6-3, 6-1 loss in the first round on July 1, and Kvitova acknowledged afterward that her motivation was "different than it was before."

Kvitova also won a bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro. She earned more than $37M in prize money in her career.