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Reuters
Reuters
Sport

Czech Davis Cup winner Stepanek retires at 38

FILE PHOTO: Czech Republic's Radek Stepanek returns a shot to Argentina's Juan Monaco during their Davis Cup semifinal tennis match in Prague September 13, 2013. REUTERS/David W Cerny/File Photo

PRAGUE (Reuters) - Czech Davis Cup winner Radek Stepanek announced his retirement from tennis on Tuesday after failing to recover his fitness following back surgery earlier this year, Czech media reported.

The 38-year-old Stepanek won five ATP singles titles and reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 2006 when he reached a career-high eighth in the world rankings.

The following year a back injury threatened his career but Stepanek battled back and won two grand slam double titles with India's Leander Paes, the Australian Open in 2012 and the U.S. Open a year later.

FILE PHOTO: Czech Republic's Radek Stepanek dances around the trophy after winning the Davis Cup tennis tournament final match over Spain in Prague November 18, 2012. REUTERS/David W Cerny/File Photo

Alongside Tomas Berdych, Stepanek was also part of the Davis Cup teams triumphed in 2012 and 2013.

Stepanek had hoped to make another comeback after undergoing back surgery but that dream was never realised.

"I had to be realistic. I fought till the last breath but it is time to move on," Stepanek was quotes as saying on www.idnes.cz website.

(Reporting by Jan Lopatka, editing by Pritha Sarkar)

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