She reached world No. 7, was compared to Maria Sharapova but retired at only 27 years old

The WTA Tour has seen many talented players emerge and disappear just as quickly as they reached the top. One of the most talked-about prospects in the mid-2000s was Czech player Nicole Vaidisova. She drew comparisons to Maria Sharapova and Anna Kournikova for her early success, but injuries and burnout cut her career short.

Vaidisova started playing tennis at the age of six. She trained at Nick Bollettieri’s famed tennis academy in Florida, where some of the sport’s biggest names, including the Williams sisters, Andre Agassi, and Sharapova, honed their skills. Her powerful game, built around a strong serve and aggressive groundstrokes, quickly made her one of the most promising young players on tour.

At just 17, she became the 12th-youngest player in WTA history to break into the top 10. By the time she was 18, she had climbed to a career-high ranking of world No. 7, showing the kind of potential that had many expecting a long and successful career.

Early success and comparisons with Sharapova

Vaidisova made an impact early on, reaching the semifinals of the 2006 French Open and the 2007 Australian Open. She also made two quarterfinal appearances at Wimbledon. Her ability to hit winners from both wings and dominate rallies with her powerful shots made her a threat against any opponent.

Nicole Vaidisova had a rapid rise in the WTA Tour (

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, she was well aware of the attention she was getting, particularly when compared to Sharapova. “I definitely want people to think I am a tennis player and in the first place known as a tennis player,” she told the outlet in 2006. “I love doing the photo shoots and the endorsements, it is definitely fun, but tennis will always be my number one priority and I want to be remembered as that.”

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She acknowledged the comparisons but made it clear that she wanted to forge her own path. “If we sat next to each other, you would see we are two totally different people,” she told the publication. “She is a great player and she does things her own way. I want to do it my own way.”

Career success and setbacks

Between 2005 and 2007, Vaidisova won six WTA titles, proving she could compete at the highest level. However, after reaching her peak ranking in 2007, her results started to decline. By 2010, she had fallen to No. 177 in the rankings and was struggling to regain form.

Her stepfather and longtime coach, Ales Kodat, announced in 2010 that she had decided to stop playing, citing a lack of motivation. Some speculated that her relationship with ATP player Radek Stepanek, whom she married that year, contributed to her decline, though Vaidisova never publicly attributed her struggles to her personal life.

Vaidosova in 2015 after her first comeback ( Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

In 2015, she gave her perspective on her departure from the sport. “When I stopped, I never said I retired or that I wasn’t ever going to play again,” she told ESPN.com. “I kind of just wanted to step back and take a breath. It’s tough when you’re younger. On the tennis tour, we all kind of go at 100 percent speed and don’t think about things too much.”

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Retirement and life after tennis

After initially leaving the sport in 2010, Vaidisova made a brief comeback in 2014. However, injuries hampered her return, and in 2016, she announced her second and final retirement at only 27 years old. “I have spent more time in hospitals, physical therapy, and doctor’s offices than on the court, playing the sport I love,” she wrote on her social media.

Despite stepping away from professional tennis, she remains connected to the sport. In 2018, she remarried Stepanek, and the couple has two daughters. While she no longer competes, Vaidisova occasionally shares her experiences and insights on the game she gave her all.