Tennis player Andrea Sestini Hlaváčková said goodbye to her active career in a blue dress, with her husband Fabrizia or sister Jana behind her and daughter Isabella by her side.
The three-time Grand Slam champion and Olympic silver medalist in doubles ended her career on the courts during the Livesport Prague Open tournament on Thursday after a quarterfinal loss to Lucía Hradecká, today she officially said goodbye to the fans.
During the ceremony, she thanked everyone who had contributed to her career, and several times tears welled up in her eyes.
“I promised myself that there was no reason to cry, but these are tears of emotion, so why not,” Sestini Hlaváčková began her speech.
“I have had a wonderful career and never in my life could I have imagined what I would achieve. I think I surprised a lot of people around me every year that I progressed in my professional career,” said the thirty-five-year-old tennis player to the applause of more than two thousand fans on the center court. During the ceremony, where she thanked, among other things, her parents, one of the ball collectors became sick and collapsed on the court. But later she was fine.
Pilsen native Sestini Hlaváčková has been active on the circuit since 2004 and interrupted her career more than three years ago due to pregnancy. She conceived the Prague Open tournament as a one-time return and farewell.
At the farewell ceremony after the singles final, the two-time Fed Cup winner received a ceremonial plaque and a bouquet. She then watched a special video on the big screen that commemorated her greatest achievements. She won two Grand Slam titles and the Olympic silver from London with Hradecká, while the Belarusian Max Mirnyj stood by her side at the next title at the US Open in mixed doubles, and five years ago she also triumphed at the Tournament of Champions with the Hungarian Tímea Babosová.
“In the video that recapitulated my career, my single participation was missing, which was also not bad at all,” Sestini Hlaváčková made the fans laugh.
“However, I understand that the medals and titles came in the doubles. That’s why I can’t even thank the girls enough, who achieved at least fifty percent of the successes with me. First of all, I have to thank Lucia Hradecká. Our duo H+H got from the ten thousand in Jersey, England to the Olympic Games and to the central court in Wimbledon,” said Hlaváčková.
The doubles match with Hradecká was symbolic for her during the week, because it was with her partner who was two years older that she became famous.
“During the week, I realized what Lucka and I meant to you, because H+H brought you back to the stands. I felt that you said goodbye not only to me, but to our entire duo,” said Sestini Hlaváčková. “We pulled it together through thick and thin. We even broke up, got together and managed to find a way to each other. In the end, we found it for the match together,” Hlaváčková appreciated.
She also directed her thanks to other teammates Babosová, the Chinese Pcheng Shuaj and her friend Barbora Strýcová.
“I thank her very much for the great ride at the end, because it completed what I needed to experience. There was great friendship,” said Sestini Hlaváčková, who also called all her coaches in gratitude during the week. “I had to apologize to some of them. Behind my smiles, they didn’t always have an easy time with me, and sometimes I had enough,” added the former world number three in doubles with a smile.
