Former doubles number one Katarina Srebotnik celebrated in Portoroz

Former doubles number one Katarina Srebotnik was celebrated with a special ceremony in Portoroz last week during the WTA event there.

The Slovenian won 39 doubles trophies in her career including one Wimbledon trophy. The Wimbledon trophy is the only one she won in WTA doubles but she added 5 more in the mixed doubles. The only grand slam in mixed doubles that she didn't win was actually Wimbledon.

She held an emotional retirement ceremony in Portoroz during the WTA event there and she received video messages from many players during the ceremony, including WTA Legends Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova and Monica Seles, along with her frequent doubles partners Kveta Peschke and Ai Sugiyama.

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Srebotnik said:

"Many thanks to the tournament organizers for such a beautiful ceremony. In my career I experienced many beautiful and some less pleasant moments, and today's farewell day is definitely one of the most difficult ones. Although I knew that this moment is inevitable for every athlete, it took me quite some time to accept it deep inside. This decision was difficult for me mainly because tennis has been my great passion since the age of 7, and because it has given me so many extraordinary and unforgettable moments, which I will cherish forever.

I can proudly say that even at the age of 41, my feelings remain the same. This is also the main reason why I competed for so long - not because I had to, but because I enjoyed every second of it. And to be completely honest, I will miss competitive tennis."