Suarez Navarro primed for final farewell at Billie Jean King Cup Finals

From the depths of a cancer diagnosis in 2020 to a farewell tour which has reflected the love and affection the tennis world feels for her, Carla Suarez Navarro is preparing for her on-court curtain call.

The Billie Jean King Cup by BNP Paribas Finals will be the 33-year-old’s final tournament and signal the end of a professional career which has spanned nearly two decades and delivered untold memories.

After all, Suarez Navarro has significant pedigree. The Spaniard is a former world No. 6 and seven-time Grand Slam quarter-finalist, while she has featured at four Olympic Games, most recently at Tokyo 2020 earlier this year.

The Olympics featured prominently in Suarez Navarro’s long goodbye, which also included appearances at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open having announced her recovery from Hodgkin lymphoma in April.

Initial retirement plans were shelved following her diagnosis shortly before the 2020 US Open. She subsequently underwent eight sessions of chemotherapy ahead of an emotional comeback. As farewells go, Suarez Navarro could not have asked for more.

“It is the final season that I wanted,” Suarez Navarro told billiejeankingcup.com. “I have had a really good year, much better than I could have imagined. I have felt the love of the people in every tournament, on every centre court and from the other players also.

“For me, it was so difficult at the beginning of this year and last year as I was fighting, but now I am feeling really good. It has been a great goodbye to the year, to tournaments, to the calendar and to the fans.

“I have really appreciated everything, and I am happy to be here for the last time. It is so special that after a lot of years the Billie Jean King Cup Finals is my last tournament.

“I am always proud to represent Spain. I will try to enjoy every day and all the times I am on court. I want to have fun with my team. The things you feel on court with your team behind you, when you represent your country, is always so special.”

Maybe the standout moment of 2021 is yet to come, especially if Suarez Navarro and her teammates have designs on propelling their nation to a sixth Billie Jean King Cup title and first since 1998.

As it is, her final showing at Wimbledon, against world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty on Centre Court, is the most precious recollection from a compelling season. Suarez Navarro succumbed 6-1 6-7(1) 6-1, although the symbolic nature of the occasion dwarfed the result.

In the aftermath of the clash, Barty referred to her opponent as “a hell of a competitor and a hell of a fighter”, while it was a day which certainly resonated with Suarez Navarro.

“There are so many special moments from 2021 but I really enjoyed that match,” she added. “The atmosphere on Centre Court, against Ash Barty – the world No. 1, was so special for me. It was a lovely gift.”

Broadening that particular conversation, requesting highlights from a stellar career does not do the sheer volume of high points justice, although there is one notable staging post which springs immediately to Suarez Navarro’s mind.  

“If I have to choose one, maybe I would choose Roland Garros in 2008,” she said. “I navigated the qualifiers and in my first Roland Garros I played on Centre Court for the first time against Amelie Mauresmo, a local player.

“The atmosphere was amazing. I made the quarter-finals and this Roland Garros was the first time that people started to know me and started to know how I play. It was one of the best moments.”

When Suarez Navarro reminisces, she regularly references the impact of people. This encompasses those who offer heart-warming support from the stands as well as those who have proven an enormous source of comfort during the turbulence of the last year.

“I will miss a lot of things,” said Suarez Navarro. “But I think the thing I will miss the most is the fans as they make a competition different. The atmosphere when they support you is amazing as is the feeling they have given me this past year.

“The competition is also something I will miss. Winning matches, learning from the ones you lose, tennis is just a really beautiful sport.”

The Billie Jean King Cup Finals provide the opportunity for Suarez Navarro to end her career on the highest possible note. Spain have been drawn in Group C alongside 18-time tournament winners USA and Slovakia. Their first opponents will be Slovakia on Monday.

Whether it proves a grandstand finish or not, once Spain’s involvement is over, Suarez Navarro will pack away her racket for the final time and sail into the sunset. Especially after the emotion of the last year, a very well-earned retirement awaits.

“I want to relax, disconnect and spend time with family and friends,” she added. “I will try to do some different activities but for the first months I want to disconnect because I really deserve it and need it after the last year. I want to enjoy life.”

Happy retirement, Carla!