Cibulkova's greatest career accomplishments

It may not have been the final goodbye that Dominika Cibulkova wanted, but with a legacy that includes a Grand Slam final, eight WTA titles, and a near record ranking, the Slovakian has nothing else to prove.

Hampered by injuries and dwindling form, Cibulkova announced her retirement on Tuesday and ends her career with the French Open as her last tournament. She lost in the first round to Aryna Sabalenka, and eventually dropped to No. 315 in the rankings. Yet at 30 years old, having played on the professional tour for 15 years, it's hard to imagine that the Slovakian is anything but satisfied.

Here are her Top 5 greatest achievements:

1

Her only Grand Slam championship round, Cibulkova became the first female Slovakian to reach the final round of a major. It is possibly the most important and definitive moment in her career, even if she wasn't hugely competitive in the final against Li Na, losing 7-6 (3), 6-0.

2

After her impressive Australian Open run in 2014, it took a little while for Cibulkova to win the biggest title of her career, the WTA Finals. After defeating Angelique Kerber in straight sets, she became only the fourth player in history (joining Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Petra Kvitova) to win the tournament on her debut.

3

Players are defined by how many titles they win, but almost as important are the ranking spots they earn along the way. Cibulkova secured a career-high ranking of world No. 4 on November 11, 2017, tying Miloslav Mecir for the highest ranking for a Slovakian singles player.

4

The first taste of superstardom for Cibulkova was when she defeated Maria Sharapova in straight sets to reach her first major semifinal. Before this point, she had never gone past the fourth round in a Grand Slam. Since then there have only been three years (2013, 2017 and 2019) where she would not reach the quarterfinals in at least one major.

5

Before the French Open, there was the Hopman Cup for Cibulkova, an international tournament of mixed-gender players competing by country. She won the team tournament in 2009 alongside Dominik Hrbaty, becoming only the third Slovakian team to do so. Since the Hopman Cup enjoyed its last year in 2019, Cibulkova will stand as the last female Slovakian to win the title.

"It was a hard decision," Cibulkova said in her WTA video. "But I'm really happy right now and I'm looking forward to a new chapter in my life."