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.
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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.”