Safarova bids adieu to tennis, and gets honored in Paris
The Czech, who had some of her best results at Roland Garros, played her last event.
It’s only fitting that Lucie Safarova was honored with a retirement ceremony at Roland Garros. After all, the Czech experienced many high points in Paris—in both singles and doubles.
With American Bethanie Mattek-Sands, the other half of “Team Bucie,” Safarova won the women’s doubles event twice, in 2015 and 2017. In both of those years, the pair had won the Australian Open at the start of the season and their Roland Garros victories fueled dreams of completing the career Grand Slam.
At the 2017 edition of Wimbledon, they were actually going for their fourth major in a row, having won the 2016 US Open title. A devastating knee injury to Mattek-Sands on the grass brought an end to that quest, but putting themselves in that position only added to the notion they were one of the best teams to take the court in the 2000s.
Along with her five majors in doubles, and 10 other titles in that discipline, Safarova was an established star without a partner. Every professional player dreams of competing for a Grand Slam title in singles, and she worked her way into that position in 2015, when she reached the final at the French Open. Seeded No. 13 that year, Safarova defeated Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic on her way to the championship match, which she dropped to a world No. 1-ranked Serena Williams in three sets.
During her career, the former world No. 5 reached the fourth round or better at all the majors, including her first Grand Slam quarterfinal in 2007 in Australia and a Wimbledon semifinal showing in 2014.
Versatility was one of the defining characteristics of her game: Safarova captured seven singles titles out of 17 finals on three different surfaces, including the rarely played-on carpet. The only surface she missed out on was grass, with her sole final coming in Rosmalen in 2005.
Seven titles are nothing to take lightly, and it took a lot for her opponents to deny her more: In the finals she lost, only twice did she drop the match in straight sets.
When it came to representing the Czech Republic, Safarova always heeded the call, being part of four Fed Cup-winning teams and taking home an Olympics Bronze medal with Barbora Strycova at the most recent Summer Games in 2016.
While her achievements on the court are worthy of all the kudos, Safarova has always been hailed by her peers as one of the most cherished and respected players on the WTA Tour, attributes that will make the tennis community miss her even more.
Follow Van on Twitter: @Van_Sias