One of Italy's best-ever got the sendoff she deserved at the Foro Italico on Monday.

Former singles World No.7 and doubles World No.1 Roberta Vinci played the last match of her professional career on home soil, falling in the first round of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia to Aleksandra Krunic, 2-6, 6-0, 6-3.

Read more: Vinci vanquished by Krunic in farewell match in Rome

At the net, the Italian favorite was greeted warmly by both Krunic and chair umpire Mariana Alves before an on-court ceremony which celebrated her career achievements. 

After the match, the 25-year-old Serb took up the mantle of articulating how the 35-year-old impacted her peers on tour. 

"It's just tough, because I personally like her very much. Roberta, I played her three times and I know her very well. She's a great person," Krunic said.

"She's...fair play, and she's a great example and a great role model for all of us. It's nice that she had such an amazing career, but it's sad that role models are leaving the tour." 

A native of Taranto, Vinci turned professional in 1999, and over the course of her career, was responsible for several milestones in her country's tennis history. 

She recorded 565 wins in singles and 415 wins in doubles on tour, and held the World No.1 ranking for 110 weeks in doubles.

A winner of five Grand Slam titles alongside Sara Errani, the pair completed the career Grand Slam, and Vinci accumulated 10 singles titles and 25 doubles titles on her resume overall.

She was the runner-up to compatriot Flavia Pennetta at the 2015 US Open - the first all-Italian Grand Slam final in the Open Era - after completing one of the most stunning upsets of all time in the semifinals as she dethroned Serena Williams in the latter's pursuit of the calendar-year Grand Slam.

Veni, Vidi, Vinci: A look back at Roberta Vinci's brilliant career in pictures

After the ceremony in Rome, the Italian was also saluted by her peers on social media.

Read more from the retiring Italian's post-match press conference here.