'I will leave the sport with the biggest smile': Petra Kvitova announces retirement after 19-year career

The 2-time Wimebldon champion Petra Kvitova has officially announced her retirement from professional tennis, just a few months after taking a break from the tour due to pregnancy. The Czech player competed in only a handful of tournaments since returning at the start of the 2025 season and has now confirmed she will soon step away from the sport.

The former World No. 2 became one of the most successful players of the past decade. She ended eight seasons inside the WTA top 10 and won two Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014. Over her career, Kvitová collected 31 titles, including two majors, nine WTA 1000 trophies, and the WTA Finals crown in 2011.

Kvitová took a career break at the end of 2023 after announcing her pregnancy. She finished that year ranked World No. 14. After skipping the entire 2024 season and dropping to World No. 1,448, she returned at the start of 2025 at the ATX Open. Since then, she has played seven events, winning just one match. At the Rome Open, she retired before her second-round clash against Ons Jabeur.

In a heartfelt message on social media, Kvitová confirmed she will officially retire at age 35, after 19 years on tour: “I have accomplished more than I could have ever imagined and I am so grateful to everything that tennis has given me all these years,” she posted. “While no such decision is ever easy to make, for me this is a happy moment! I will leave the sport with the biggest smile on my face – the same smile you’ve seen from me on and off court throughout my whole career.”

“Through all these years, I am so incredibly thankful for the unwavering support of my family, my closest friends, my team, and all the incredible fans that have always supported me around the world over all these years,” she added in her statement.

The Czech star revealed she will play Wimbledon for the last time this year as a wildcard entry, and she hopes to end her career at the US Open, the season's final Grand Slam.