Andrea Petkovic’s emotional farewell at the U.S. Open on Tuesday proved just how much tennis has meant to the German.
The 34-year-old wasn’t the only person on court 7 in tears, as fans also felt the heaviness of the moment as she announced on Sunday she would be retiring after the U.S. Open. She said she was going to leave the option open to play a tournament after the U.S. Open in Europe because it’s “closer to my family and friends.”
In a highly competitive, physical first round match, Petkovic fell to 2019 U.S. Open semifinalist Belinda Bencic 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.
“I think for me I still love the game, still have a tremendous amount of passion for the game, Petkovic said after the match. “It's more the body that is not allowing me to play tennis anymore in a way that I want to play it, train the way I want to train, just play a full season really.”
The whole match, Petkovic overwhelmingly had the crowd’s support filled with chants and standing ovations.
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In her 16-year career on the tour, Petkovic has made it to the semifinals of both the U.S. Open (2011) and French Open (2014). She was also ranked as high as world No. 9 in singles.
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More than tennis accomplishments, Petkovic has been regarded as one of the "warmest" players on tour both "in person and online."
"Nobody was cooler than her in this tennis world -- not even close -- and she made this tour a much better place," Racquet Magazine's Ben Rothenberg said.
Despite Petkovic’s farewell from the sport, everyone will remember the emotional impact she made on the game of tennis.
