'I enjoyed every second': Katarina Srebotnik honored for career in Portoroz

Katarina Srebotnik topped the WTA doubles rankings for 10 weeks in 2011 and was honored for her career on Sunday in Portoroz.

Former doubles world No. 1 and Top 20 singles player Katarina Srebotnik said farewell to professional tennis on her terms on the final day of the Zavarovalnica Sava Portoroz.

The now-41-year-old Slovenian last played at Roland Garros in 2020, but was honored officially for her retirement this year at her home country's flagship WTA 250 event. She reached the singles and doubles final in the first-ever edition of the event in 2005, and was also the singles finalist in 2007.

WATCH: Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina went on to reach the final of the Zavarovalnica Sava Portoroz.

"In my career, I experienced many beautiful and some less pleasant moments, and today's farewell day is definitely one of the most difficult ones," Srebotnik said, as per the WTA.

"Although I knew that this moment is inevitable for every athlete, it took me quite some time to accept it deep inside. This decision was difficult for me mainly because tennis has been my great passion since the age of 7, and because it has given me so many extraordinary and unforgettable moments, which I will cherish forever. I can proudly say that even at the age of 41, my feelings remain the same.

"This is also the main reason why I competed for so long: not because I had to, but because I enjoyed every second of it."

Srebotnik won 39 WTA doubles titles over the course of her career, including a Wimbledon doubles title in 2011 with Czech Kveta Peschke. That year, the duo was named the WTA Doubles Team of the Year and ITF World Champions. (Perhaps fittingly, Peschke also said farewell to tennis earlier this year in Charleston.)

As a result of that Wimbledon triumph, Srebotnik rose to the top of the WTA's doubles rankings, a spot she held for 10 weeks in all. In addition, she won five Grand Slam mixed doubles titles: three at Roland Garros, as well as one Australian Open and one US Open. In her career, she reached a total of 16 Grand Slam finals across women's and mixed doubles combined.

Srebotnik also reached a career-high ranking of No. 20 in singles and won four WTA singles titles in her career, before turning her attention to doubles full-time at the start of 2011.