Nicole Vaidisova has definitely retired! The former world No.7 and two-time Grand Slam semifinalist broke the news on Instagram, saying that the decision is heartbreaking, but inevitable, due to recurring injuries.
The Czech first quit tennis at the young age of 20 in 2010 and it was a big disappointment to tennis fans, as she had both the game and the looks to make it big on the court and in off-court ventures. However, she distanced herself from the public eye and married fellow tennis player Radek Stepanek, 11 years her senior, famous for having been engaged to Martina Hingis. The marriage lasted three years and following the divorce Vaidisova expressed a wish to come back to competitive tennis.
In July 2014, Vaidisova posted on Instagram a video of her practicing serve, announcing that she’s working on a comeback. Two months later, Vaidisova did come back, winning a match against Sesil Karatantcheva at an ITF tournament in Albuquerque. Fast forward two years, and the 27-year-old unfortunately has to make a tough decision to hang up her racquet for good:
This has been one of the hardest words for me to write. After months and months of thinking and agonizing about this, I have decided to retire from professional tennis. It has been one of my hardest and most emotional decisions of my life. As many of you know, I have been struggling with various injuries on/off for the better part of the last two years and it has gotten to the point where I have spent more time in hospitals, physical therapy and doctors offices than on the court, playing the sport I love. This has been painful and exhausting, not just on my body, but on my mind as well and I have reached the point where I did not want to put my body through it anymore. Coming to this final decision took me months, as even through all the ups and downs, it is a game I grew to love for what it is.
During her second career, Vaidisova won a number of ITF matches, but recorded just one match win in a WTA main draw, against Timea Babos in the first round of Miami in March 2015. The winner of six WTA titles played her last match in Hungary in May this year, retiring after being bageled in the first set.
Among other people, Vaidisova thanked her boyfriend Daniel for his unconditional support.
Such a pity…. a very talented player indeed. There was something bitchy about her that I loved, and I enjoyed watching her play in her prime. All the best to her.
Saudin, I started this blog when Nicole was a hot young player with bright future. She seemed to have it all, but life took her into a different direction and her career ended up having just one short period of glory.
I agree. I still don’t know what happened tho…. Was it her marriage at a very young age? Was it her losing interest in tennis? Or was it just the injuries? I feel like a great talent was left to fade away. It’s a sad story for me. Again, I salute her and wish her all the best….
Saudin, she was supposedly fed up with playing tennis. At the time she retired in 2010 it was not a shock, as her results had been way below par in the months leading up to her decision. I think that her falling in love with Stepanek did play a role in her loss of motivation for tennis.
From what I remember she was losing interest and Stepinik wanted her to quit to travel with him. I believe that was one of the reasons that Martina dumped him when they were engaged. I was so excited when I came across a match she was playing against Ivanovic in a tournament and she won the 2nd set. The announcer was talking about her making a comeback. I tried to follow her results but they were slim to none. She did almost beat Halep in 3 sets. Shows you how talented she was and still is when you come out of retirement and almost beat the #2 player in the world. Good Luck Nicole!!