Enceladus
Legend
Honorable mention:
It came as a surprise. When Simona Halep lost in the first round of the Transylvania Open, she announced her retirement on the court. The champion of two Grand Slam events, 24 WTA tournaments and World No. 1 (for 64 weeks) said goodbye to professional tennis. Her favorite surface was clay, but she also achieved success on the other two surfaces. She first drew attention to herself in the 2013 season, when she won 6 WTA tournaments and came close to the TOP 10 in the rankings. In the following season, 2014, she made it to the Grand Slam final for the first time in her career, at the French Open she fought a big battle for the trophy with Maria Sharapova, which Simona ultimately lost. Simona's next two final appearances ended unsuccessfully, before came the 2018 French Open. There, Simona managed to win the GS trophy and repeated this success the following year in Wimbledon. The end of Simona's career was marked by a doping ban, which Simona defended herself against. She achieved a reduction in the length of her ban and was able to return to the courts, but her results no longer satisfied her, so she eventually retired from pro tennis.
Simona was a female tennis player with a great defensive game, great court coverage, and the ability to hit simple but powerful winners from defensive positions.
Good bye, Simona!
Another Wimbledon champion and long-time top tennis player, Petra Kvitová, also said goodbye to the pro tennis tour this season. Petra has achieved 2 GS trophies in her career (both at Wimbledon), won 31 WTA tournaments, 1 YEC title, and her highest WTA ranking was 2nd place. Petra was known for her very offensive and risky game, which produced a lot of winner shots, but also a lot of UEs. Her career was accompanied by frequent fluctuations in her game. When she was in form, she could knock any opponent off the court, making her the WTA Tour equivalent of Stan Wawrinka.
Petra first came to the attention of the tennis world in 2009, when she knocked out then-world No.1 Dinara Safina at the US Open. In 2011, she entered the TOP 10 and won Wimbledon, becoming the first tennis player born in the 1990s (male or female) to win a Grand Slam singles event.
Petra was a supporter of the Czech Fed Cup team (today BJK Cup) for many years, participating in 6 triumphs.
In late 2016, her career was affected by an incident where she was robbed in her apartment by a thief who severely cut her left hand (the one she plays with). Petra had to undergo a difficult operation, but her hand healed and allowed Petra to return to playing after 5 months.
This season, Petra returned to the courts after a maternity break, but due to disappointing results, she decided to quit, her last tournaments was Wimbledon and the US Open.
Good bye, Czech lioness!
It came as a surprise. When Simona Halep lost in the first round of the Transylvania Open, she announced her retirement on the court. The champion of two Grand Slam events, 24 WTA tournaments and World No. 1 (for 64 weeks) said goodbye to professional tennis. Her favorite surface was clay, but she also achieved success on the other two surfaces. She first drew attention to herself in the 2013 season, when she won 6 WTA tournaments and came close to the TOP 10 in the rankings. In the following season, 2014, she made it to the Grand Slam final for the first time in her career, at the French Open she fought a big battle for the trophy with Maria Sharapova, which Simona ultimately lost. Simona's next two final appearances ended unsuccessfully, before came the 2018 French Open. There, Simona managed to win the GS trophy and repeated this success the following year in Wimbledon. The end of Simona's career was marked by a doping ban, which Simona defended herself against. She achieved a reduction in the length of her ban and was able to return to the courts, but her results no longer satisfied her, so she eventually retired from pro tennis.
Simona was a female tennis player with a great defensive game, great court coverage, and the ability to hit simple but powerful winners from defensive positions.
Good bye, Simona!
Another Wimbledon champion and long-time top tennis player, Petra Kvitová, also said goodbye to the pro tennis tour this season. Petra has achieved 2 GS trophies in her career (both at Wimbledon), won 31 WTA tournaments, 1 YEC title, and her highest WTA ranking was 2nd place. Petra was known for her very offensive and risky game, which produced a lot of winner shots, but also a lot of UEs. Her career was accompanied by frequent fluctuations in her game. When she was in form, she could knock any opponent off the court, making her the WTA Tour equivalent of Stan Wawrinka.
Petra first came to the attention of the tennis world in 2009, when she knocked out then-world No.1 Dinara Safina at the US Open. In 2011, she entered the TOP 10 and won Wimbledon, becoming the first tennis player born in the 1990s (male or female) to win a Grand Slam singles event.
Petra was a supporter of the Czech Fed Cup team (today BJK Cup) for many years, participating in 6 triumphs.
In late 2016, her career was affected by an incident where she was robbed in her apartment by a thief who severely cut her left hand (the one she plays with). Petra had to undergo a difficult operation, but her hand healed and allowed Petra to return to playing after 5 months.
This season, Petra returned to the courts after a maternity break, but due to disappointing results, she decided to quit, her last tournaments was Wimbledon and the US Open.
Good bye, Czech lioness!
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