Former doubles world number one Lucie Safarova has announced that she will retire at the Australian Open next year.
The 31 year old made her announcement in a pre-Fed Cup press conference, where she explained that she’s been suffering from health problems for a while.
The former world number five in singles stated that she can no longer continue and admitted it was a hard decision to make, “I decided to end my career in Melbourne,” Safarova told sport.idnes.cz.
“Health complication were a big part in my decision. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time with Rob (Steckley, her coach) we talked that this would be the last season. I’ve had a great career but it’s not a healthier job.”
In her career Safarova reached a Roland Garros final in 2015 in singles, where she lost to Serena. The Czech Republican also had fantastic doubles success with Bethanie Mattek-Sands, winning three of the four grand slams.
“I don’t want to end by playing qualifying tournaments. I’m not playing any tournaments ahead of Melbourne,” Safarova concluded.
The former doubles world number one will now end her career by playing singles and doubles at the Australian Open as she can look back on her career with fond memories and great success.
