Wimbledon break protocol with Martina Navratilova in tears on BBC

Petra Kvitova addressed the crowd after losing her last match at Wimbledon

Wimbledon broke protocol as two-time former champion Petra Kvitova suffered defeat in her last-ever match at the All England Club. Ahead of this year’s tournament, the former world No. 2 announced that she would be retiring at the US Open later this summer. She received a wildcard into Wimbledon and was handed a tough draw, facing No. 10 seed Emma Navarro. After taking an early break lead, Kvitova fell away and suffered a 6-3 6-1 defeat, leaving BBC commentator Martina Navratilova in tears. Afterwards, the on-court interviewer confirmed that, against their usual protocol, Kvitova would complete address the crowd despite losing the match. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT

As Kvitova shook hands with Navarro at the net, fellow Czech-born tennis champion Navratilova was asked to pay tribute to the retiring 35-year-old and started crying on air. “It’s hard for me to talk right now, she's just such a nice person on and off the court, a role model everywhere,” the retired icon said through tears. Kvitova waved to the fans inside Court 1 as she walked across the grass to collect her towel from its box. And she remained on Wimbledon’s second-biggest showcourt for one last interview. “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m sure you’re all aware, our normal protocol is to interview the winner. But on this special occasion, the last appearance in the main draw for two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, Petra, we’d like to give you the opportunity for a few words,” Rishi Prasad announced.

Petra Kvitova lost to Emma Navarro in her last match at Wimbledon

Stepping up to the microphone, the 2011 and 2014 champion said: “Hi everyone, thank you very much for the beautiful atmosphere you made today, it was very special to play on this beautiful court. Congrats Emma on the win, good luck, I wish we could play a little bit longer but okay, whatever! “To have another chance to play one more time here, it means a lot to me. This place holds the best memories I could wish for. I never dreamed of winning Wimbledon, and I won it twice, this is something very, very special. “I will miss Wimbledon for sure, I will miss tennis, I will miss you fans, but I’m ready for the next chapter in my life as well. I can’t wait to be back as a member which is still very unreal for me, to come back here and see all you guys again.” Kvitova - who only returned to competition earlier this year after a 16-month absence to welcome her first child - also paid tribute to those who had helped her career.

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“I didn't have many tennis coaches through my career. My first one was my dad, who is here today as well, and my last one is my husband,” she laughed, before sending a message to her loved ones in Czech. The 31-time tour title winner thanked her friends, family and team members past and present for the final time before Navarro addressed Kvitova and the crowd. The 10th seed said: “Petra has had an amazing career and I told her at the net it was a pleasure to play her today. It was a little surreal to look across the court and see her over there serving bombs at me. I don’t think you’ve lost any speed on your serve! “It was a bit intimidating at times and I just want to say congratulations for all you’ve done in this sport. Good luck for the rest of the year and wherever this life takes you when you’re done here, best of luck.” To be the first to receive the latest Wimbledon news, join our WhatsApp community or Wimbledon newsletter

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