Patty Schnyder quit tennis in 2011, then divorced, gave birth to a baby girl, started doing acupuncture for dogs, and after playing on the ITF circuit since July 2015 in Darmstadt, the 37-year-old entered her first WTA tournament at her beloved Charleston this week, losing her first qualifying match to Samantha Crawford as a wildcard.
The Swiss had played the Charleston tournament, now called the Volvo Car Open, for fifteen consecutive years and enjoyed a rock-star status there. Her runs to the final 2002 and 2006, which included victories over legendary Jennifer Capriati, Justine Henin, Serena Williams, Amelie Mauresmo, and others, stole the hearts of tennis fans.