FlipperKF

Picture Credit: Wimbledon

Former Wimbledon champion Simona Halep registered an incredible comeback from deficits in both sets as she defeated Belgian Kirsten Flipkens 7-5, 6-4 on Thursday and stormed into the third round at Wimbledon. But the end of the match also marked the curtains on the career of Kirsten Flipkens who has been a veteran and has played in multiple eras of tennis.

Kirsten Flipkens played her first professional match in 2001 and at the start of June, announced that she will retire after the Wimbledon. Her greatest Grand Slam success was when she reached the semifinals of the Championships in 2013. After the match, she broke down in tears and received a standing ovation from the crowd. 

Like I said, I would have dreamed for a goodbye like today: Kirsten Flipkens

After the match, Kirsten Flipkens talked about her career and her journey as a tennis player. She said, “I mean, a lot of emotions going through my body, of course. For everything, there is an end in life, and I'm about to start now a new chapter. It's a special feeling. Like I said, I would have dreamed for a goodbye like today. I was really close to even taking a set from a champion like Simona.”

“It's not that I cannot play my best anymore with a champion like her or with other players. It's just you're 36 years old, you have been through so much in your career, ups and downs, and, yeah, it was just a perfect way for me to end.”

She then talked about how she will miss the interaction with the audience after her playing career. Kirsten Flipkens said,  "What will I miss most? Yeah, I think the interaction with the fans. Like you see, the good-bye that I had on court today, a standing ovation from a full-court No. 2, with the words like Simona ending that way. I think definitely the adrenaline, like going out on court, being focused.

"There is much more that I would not miss any more than that I will miss, but I think definitely the interaction with the fans and the adrenaline going through your body with ups and downs. Yeah, it's been a hell of a ride."