Aunt Lucie Safarova comes out of retirement, has no comeback plans despite win in Reims

Don’t call it a comeback. No, really!

Lucie Safarova has no plans to take her brief stint out of retirement global despite a three-set victory at an ITF W25 in Reims, squashing rumors of a full-scale return to action after appearing in a professional draw as a wild card for the first time in over four years.

“I still enjoy tennis, but I don't want to go back,” Safarova said in an interview with iSport.cz.

While she has no looming career aspirations for herself, the former world No. 5 is instead on tour helping support nieces Emma and Anna Dvorackova, daughters of her elder sister Veronika.

“We are a tennis family,” Safarova explained, having also entered the doubles draw with 17-year-old Emma.

A 2015 Roland Garros runner-up, Safarova was part of an iconic dynasty of Czech women’s tennis, peaking at No. 1 in doubles and winning five major titles in the discipline before officially retiring from the sport after Roland Garros in 2019.

In the years since hanging up her racquets, Safarova has started a family with husband Tomas Plekanec—with whom she recently celebrated an anniversary—welcoming daughter and son Lea and Oliver in 2019 and 2022, respectively.

Safarova fans will still have a chance to see the Czech star in action later this fall, as she will compete in the Luxembourg Ladies Tennis Masters. The star-studded line-up will include Kim Clijsters, Anett Kontaveit, Daniela Hantuchova, Andrea Petkovic, Monica Puig, Pauline Parmentier, and Mandy Minella.

In a true blast from the past, Safarova’s next match in Reims will be against former Top 30 standout Mona Barthel; the pair will face off for the first time since 2015.