Former Doubles No.1 Barbora Strycova announced she is pregnant. The Czech veteran shared the news on her social media channels on Friday.
"I used to hate getting bakery products (bagels mainly) on court," Strycova wrote on Twitter. "However now when there is a little bun in the oven, I couldn't be happier!"
Currently ranked No.4 in doubles and No.45 in singles, the 34-year-old Plzen native has not played a tournament since the Australian Open. A 2019 Wimbledon singles semifinalist and doubles champion, as well as an Olympic bronze medalist and member of the Czech Republic's Billie Jean King Cup dynasty, Strycova has openly discussed her eye toward retirement in recent years.
"2020 was supposed to be my last year and the Olympics would be the cherry on the cake and everything changed," Strycova said when the tour restarted last summer. "On one hand I want to say I don't want this to be it. I want to continue because I want to play full and I want to play tournaments like it should be played. This is how I want to do it.
"On the other hand, I don't miss traveling and I really like where I am. It's really tough to start again. Let's see how I feel at the end, how many tournaments we will play through the end of the year. And there's always Australia, my lovely country. So let's see."
The immediate congratulations and excitement from her peers and colleagues are no surprise given Strycova's status as a well-respected and beloved part of the WTA locker room.
Congratulations @BaraStrycova - such exciting news!!! 💕💕💕
— Simona Halep (@Simona_Halep) March 26, 2021
Congrats! Going to be a dropshot queen or king!
— Raemon Sluiter (@raemonsluiter) March 26, 2021
Congrats! 😍
— Elise Mertens (@elise_mertens) March 26, 2021
Omg!!!!! Congrats !!!!!!!😘😘😘😘
— Donna Vekic (@DonnaVekic) March 26, 2021
Ah!! Congrats!!✨😍
— Alison Riske-Amritraj🇺🇸🇮🇳 (@Riske4rewards) March 26, 2021