By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday, April 28, 2023
Nearly two years after giving birth to her baby boy Vincent, Barbora Strycova is back to end her career on her own terms.
Playing her first tennis in 26 months – since the 2021 Australian Open – at Madrid, Strycova fell in straight sets to Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto, but she’s essentially defending her doubles title later this week, as she will take the court with Hsieh Su-Wei against Latisha Chan and Hao-Ching Chan in first-round action.
Strycova and Hsieh won the doubles title in their last appearance at Madrid in 2019. Hsieh is making a comeback of her own – she has not played since October of 2021.
The 2019 doubles champions, each former World No.1 doubles players, are fan favorites.
Strycova plans to play a limited schedule and bid a final farewell at the US Open.
“I had in the back of my head that I would like to come back and retire on my terms,” Strycova told Greg Garber of WTATennis.com. “I needed to close this chapter on my terms. I felt it like I had to do it – and I needed it still. That’s why I came back to play some tournaments – just the ones I like.”