Following cancer battle, Suarez Navarro bow's out in Paris

After a triumphant victory in her battle with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Carla Suarez Navarro was unable to earn the win on her return to professional tennis as she fell to Sloane Stephens in the first round of Roland Garros.

The former World No.6 put up a valiant effort but was unable to get past Stephens, who escaped with a 3-6 7-6(4) 6-4 victory. Despite making a miraculous recovery to get back on the tennis court, the former French Open quarterfinalist was unhappy with the outcome.

"I'm not happy with the result," she said in press. "I have 5-4, my serve, and then tiebreak to close the match. Maybe with the time I will see this differently - but now I'm not too happy. I was here to win that match."

The Spaniard had planned to retire in 2020, however this is put on hold due to the pandemic. Furthermore, Suarez Navarro was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma in September of last year, causing her to reevaluate her priorities. However, after undergoing six months of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, she announced that she was cancer free. It was that this point that she decided to go out on her own terms.

"I wanted to retire last year, but first the pandemic and then my cancer, you know, I couldn't," said Suarez Navarro. "I had all the time in my mind that I want to come back. I was dreaming every day."

The Canary Island native will now prepare for a hectic summer as she hopes to compete one final time at Wimbledon, the Olympic Games and the Us Open.