Former top ten star Nicole Vaidisova has reportedly decided to end her professional tennis career at the young age of twenty years-old.
According to TennisReporters.net’s Matthew Cronin, sources have said that Vaidisova plans to call it quits on her career and marry ATP Tour player Radek Stepanek in July.
Vaidisova, who is currently ranked at No. 176, reached a career high of No. 7 in May 2007. Over the past few seasons, her career has been stuck in a slump as her ranking has plummeted after strings of poor results.
To lose a member of my Eternal Fanship at just 20 is devastating, as 20 is still ‘young’ in tennis-terms. Nicole is actually the youngest member of my Eternal Fanship, and has the potential for an amazing career.
Nicole’s huge serve and forehand were – and could be again – two of the biggest weapons I’ve ever seen in women’s tennis. She was also impressively versatile, and had a brilliant ability to improvise. When she reached the semi-finals of the French Open 2006 by beating Amélie Mauresmo and Venus Williams back to back, I thought she was a tremendous fighter with inner belief and inner fire.
Nicole was one of the most precocious youngsters in tennis-history, winning two WTA singles-titles when she was only 15, three more at 16, and her sixth – and sadly last – at 17. She also reached her two Major semi-finals at 17.
Sadly, Nicole lost the plot two years ago, often looking like her mind was a million miles away from the court. Starting with a truly shocking 6-4 6-0 loss to the then-unheralded Alisa Kleybanova at Miami 2008, she embarked on a slump that looked like it was going to be of Jelena Dokic proportions – except that Nicole has decided to pull the plug before reaching the bottom and rising again. Well, Jelena actually decided to retire in 2007, but changed her mind four weeks later.
With so many players coming back after announcing their retirements – Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin, Martina Hingis, Kimiko Date Krumm, Alicia Molik – I can only hope that Nicole will join them in the future (perhaps under the name Nicole Štepánková). Perhaps she needs a long break from tennis right now, but she’s got so many tennis-years ahead of her, and it would be a tragic shame to waste her phenomenal talent forever.
At least she has her youth. She still has time to reconsider her career intentions and come back stronger and wiser.
I think what really was very damaging for Nicole was her relationship with Stephanek who took her as such a young age. It seems that while he progresses, she is going down the hill. What a pitty! what a waste!
Can anyone name a Top Ten player who improved their tennis career after entering a serious relationship (engagement, marriage, etc.) I’m sure there must be, but I’m just sayin’ . . .
I fully realize that life is more than the game, but when God has blessed one with amazing athleticism and skill, can’t the rest of your life wait? I know, it’s an individual and personal choice, but will Nicole look back and regret? Hindsight is 20/20, but Foresight may save a lot of grief.
Kudos Ms. Wallenberg! It seems as though Nicole has been brainwashed – something is not right or balanced! What type of company does she keep. With the quick relationships that Stepanek has been involved with – first Martina Hingis and now Nicole Vaidisova – I understand we all have personal lives – talk about robbing the cradle. To this very day it is ashamed how athletes like Nicole and Donald Young both have (somewhat) withered away with such tremendous talent and yet seemingly both do not seem to see the great potential they both have! Hopefully they will come to a realization of what others seen in them.