Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova bids farewell to 'the best tournament'

LONDON (AP) — Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova waved goodbye to her favorite Grand Slam tournament Tuesday.

The 35-year-old Czech player, who won at the All England Club in 2011 and 2014, plans to leave the tour after the U.S. Open, which ends in September.

Her Wimbledon farewell was a 6-3, 6-1 loss to 10th-seeded Emma Navarro of the United States on No. 1 Court.

“This place holds the best memories I could wish for,” an emotional Kvitova said in an on-court interview that is usually granted to the match winner. "I never dreamed of winning a Wimbledon and I won it twice. This is something very special.

“I will miss Wimbledon for sure,” she continued. “I will miss tennis, I will miss you fans. But I’m ready for the next chapter in life as well, and I can’t wait to be back as a member.”

Kvitova, who accepted a wild-card invitation, missed last year's tournament while on maternity leave.

The 24-year-old Navarro said Kvitova has been “an incredible player and obviously won this tournament twice, and then had a kid and came back, which is definitely an inspiring story from her end.”

In 2011, Kvitova beat Maria Sharapova 6-3, 6-4 in the final. Three years later, Kvitova earned her second trophy, defeating Eugenie Bouchard 6-3, 6-0 in the title match.

“I think it’s the best tournament in the world," she said.

The U.S. Open, she assures, will be her last one.

“I am sure,” Kvitova said, noting it's not just the toll on her body. "The motivation, it’s different than it was before."

Emma Navarro of the U.S. left and Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic shake hands after their first round women's single match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Tuesday, July 1, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic returns the ball to Emma Navarro of the U.S. during their first round women's single match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Tuesday, July 1, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic waves to the crowd after her first round women's single match against Emma Navarro of the U.S. at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Tuesday, July 1, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic waves to the crowd after her first round women's single match against Emma Navarro of the U.S. at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Tuesday, July 1, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state's history, died Sunday. He was 79.

Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to The Associated Press.

“Gov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,” Codey's family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey's official page.

"Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather -- and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him," the family said.

Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research.

Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.

Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman’s resignation to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.

At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor’s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.

Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.

Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.

After leaving the governor’s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.

“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.”

Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.

Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could “take him outside.” But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to “take him out,” which Codey denied.

His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.

“He was a really, really good guy,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I don’t care if I get elected again.’”

Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.

FILE - New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)