Lucie Safarova to retire after Aust Open

The Australian Open will be Lucie Safarova's last tournament, with the Czech player entered in the singles and doubles before she retires over health issues.

A file image off Lucie Safarova

Lucie Safarova has announced her retirement after the Australian Open due to health issues. (AAP)

Former French Open finalist Lucie Safarova will retire after the Australian Open in January over health concerns and will not play in any tournaments before then.

The 31-year-old Safarova announced her decision on Saturday in Prague ahead of the start of the Fed Cup final between the Czech Republic and defending champion United States.

Safarova helped the Czechs win four Fed Cup titles but is not in the current team.

Safarova said her decision was forced by health problems that have marred her career in recent years. She will play the singles and doubles in Melbourne.

She won seven WTA singles titles and 15 doubles titles, including five Grand Slams with American Bethanie Mattek-Sands. Safarova reached her highest singles ranking of No.5 in 2015, and was top-ranked in the doubles in 2017.

Safarova reached the French Open final in 2015, losing to Serena Williams, and the semifinals at Wimbledon in 2014.

She teamed up with Barbora Strycova to win bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics.


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Source: AAP


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