With three Grand Slam titles, two Olympic medals and five Billie Jean King Cup victories on her resume, Lucie Hradecka earned pride of place in the Czech tennis pantheon.
To recap, the unassuming lefty combined with compatriot Andrea Sestini Hlavackova to capture doubles majors, at Roland Garros in 2011 and the US Open in 2013, and with another Czech, Frantisek Cermak, to win the mixed doubles title in Paris in 2013.
Across the two disciplines, she reached six more Slam finals, while at the Olympics she and Hlavackova Sestini took home silver at London in 2012, where they fell to the Williams sisters in the final. Later the same season, they reached the title match at the WTA Finals in Istanbul. Four years later, Hradecka joined forces with Radek Stepanek to win bronze in mixed at Rio.
While Hradecka spent the latter part of her career burnishing her reputation in doubles — she reached No.4 in the world and won 26 titles in all, including three WTA 1000s at Cincinnati — she played singles with distinction, too, reaching seven finals and achieving a career-high ranking of No.41.
Reflecting on her career after an emotional tribute at the Agel Open in Ostrava, where she announced this season would be her last on the Hologic WTA Tour, Hradecka, 37, struggled to pinpoint a highlight among her accomplishments.
“I started playing tennis for fun, because I wanted to be like my older sister, Petra,” she said. “I don’t think anyone thought I would go on to win a lot of titles. I cannot choose one moment, because everything for me is special and has a story around it. I’m proud and thankful for everything.”
Hradecka was just 6 or 7 when her father, Karel, suggested she try hitting her forehand as well as her backhand with two hands. She says she didn’t watch much tennis on TV when she was young and didn’t have an idol, but she does recall having a poster of Monica Seles on her bedroom wall. Something resonated, and the style stuck.
“It became a big advantage for me because it gave me power,” Hradecka said. “But sometimes, especially in singles, it made things tougher because you are giving away a meter of reach.”
For a player who grew up in Prague, in the middle of Europe, it’s noteworthy that Hradecka…