Barbora Strycova welcomes first child, shares adorable photo on social media

Baby Bee is in the hive: Barbora Strycova shared a photo of newborn son Vincent on social media Thursday afternoon.

The former doubles No. 1 and 2019 Wimbledon singles semifinalist announced her pregnancy with longtime partner Petr Matejcek earlier this spring, citing her growing family as a signal for her likely retirement.

“I want to come back and play one more match in front of spectators,” she told me in May. “I want to feel their energy, from the crowd, from the club, all of that love. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a real match or an exhibition so long as it’s in front of a crowd.”

Strycova has embraced her new life off tour, serving some spectacular pregnancy images in the lead-up to giving birth.

“I just wanted to have some photos with my belly and Benedikt [Renc] took so many beautiful ones,” she said a few weeks ago. “What inspired the direction of the shoot was that I wanted something simple but also very unique and different.”

No word yet on whether little Vincent will pick up a racquet, but Strycova has frequently cited her desire to work with young players through recreational children’s camps.

“I don’t want to leave tennis. I want to stay in it and give back, especially to kids,” Strycova said before the Australian Open. “When I was hosting a camp last summer, I loved all of the smiles and seeing how happy the kids were to be on the court.”