Šafářová and Mattek-Sands awarded Doubles Wild Card
Lucie Šafářová is back! The former World No. 5 in singles and former World No. 1 in doubles revealed to CANAL+ Sport that she’ll be returning to courts for doubles with her friend Bethanie Mattek-Sands. The Czech-American duo, dubbed “Bucie” by their fans, were awarded a wild card for the upcoming Livesport Prague Open 2024, but more tournaments are in the works.
Ever since retiring from professional tennis back in 2019, Lucie Šafářová has gotten married to ex-NHL hockey player Tomáš Plekanec and has mainly focused on their two children – four-year-old daughter Leontýnka and two-year-old son Oliver. She has also featured as a TV expert, sharing her tennis insight with viewers.
The 2015 Roland Garros finalist surprised her fans by returning to courts already last Autumn when she played a small ITF doubles tournament in Reims, France with her niece Emma Dvořáčková, but now the 37-year-old announced that she’ll be returning for a number of tournaments with Bethanie Mattek-Sands, reigniting a successful partnership from 2015-2017 when the duo won five Grand Slam trophies.
“I want Team Bucie to return to the courts, we’ll have a bit of fun and I’m looking forward to my children seeing me in action,” revealed Lucie Šafářová during the Advantage Bethanie Mattek-Sands show on the CANAL+ Sport channel.
“We won’t be focusing on any targets,” said Mattek-Sands, “but whenever we’re together there’s so much energy and it’s so much fun. She’s like a ray of light in my life.”
The popular doubles pair are already set to start at the upcoming Livesport Prague Open 2024, which will be played on clay courts this season, between Sunday, 21 July and Friday, 26 July at the Sparta Prague Tennis Club.
“When Lucie got in touch about a possibility of a wild card, we didn’t hesitate for a moment,” said tournament and Sparta Prague Tennis Club director Miroslav Malý, “it’s funny that we held a farewell for Lucie in front of Czech fans here in Prague all those years ago and now she’s returning! We’re looking forward and hard at work preparing a big return for her. Knowing Lucie, we’re in for some great matches!”
Team Bucie has never played in Prague before, but where else will the duo’s big return take them? Wimbledon, the only Grand Slam title they are missing, would be an ideal choice.
“Unfortunately, I don’t have the necessary ranking,” said Šafářová, “so we would have to be given a wild card which is complicated, but we would like to try some tournaments in America in August,” she ended.
Author: eSports
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