Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova waved goodbye to SW19 for one final time on Tuesday.
Kvitova (main picture), who won the Ladies' Singles title in 2011 and 2014, is set to retire after the 2025 US Open and was given the tough task of facing world No.10 Emma Navarro in the first round of The Championships.
Kvitova: Wimbledon means everything to me
The Czech wild card started brightly with an early break of the American's serve.
Navarro hit back immediately, though, and levelled at three-all in the first set, taking control from then on with scintillating ball control and lightning-fast footwork.
Navarro clinched the match 6-3, 6-1, ending the Wimbledon career of the emotional former champion with 10 winners and a mere three unforced errors.
Usually, it's just the winners who are interviewed immediately after matches, but on No.1 court, Kvitova stepped up to the microphone too, delighting the crowd.
"Thank you everyone for the beautiful atmosphere today," she said. With Navarro laughing among the fans, Kvitova continued: "I wish we could have played a little bit longer."
Holding back the tears, Kvitova added: "To have another chance to play one more time at Wimby, it means a lot to me. This place holds the best memories I could wish for. I never dreamed of winning Wimbledon. It's very special.
"I will miss Wimbledon for sure, I will miss tennis, I will you fans - but I'm ready for the next chapter and life as well, and I can't wait to be be back as a member and see you guys again."
Kvitova and her husband - and coach - Jiri welcomed their son Petr to the world last July.
The former world No.2 returned from maternity leave at the ATX Open in Austin, Texas in February, but has found wins hard to come by. Her only victory has been against Irina-Camelia Begu in the first round of the Rome Masters in May.
Afterwards, Kvitova was asked how long she would keep playing, and her response was immediate: "However long I'm going to enjoy it."
Besides her Wimbledon titles, and the 29 others on tour, she captured a bronze medal in singles representing the Czech Republic at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and also won the 2011 season-ending WTA Championships. Her career-high No.2 world ranking was achieved on 31 October, 2011.
“I have accomplished more than I could have ever imagined and I am so grateful to everything that tennis has given me all these years," Kvitova, after 19 years on tour, said on court.
“While no such decision is ever easy to make, for me this is a happy moment. I will leave the sport with the biggest smile on my face – the same smile you’ve seen from me on and off court throughout my whole career.”