Nicole Vaidisova goes from Top 10 at 17 to retirement at 20

Two-time major semifinalist is content in watching fiance Radek Stepanek earn confidence-boosting win at BMW Tennis Championship Challenger in Sunrise

Instead of preparing for the upcoming Sony Ericsson Open, former tennis phenom Nicole Vaidisova was wrapped in a blanket sitting in the stands at the Sunrise Tennis Club cheering on her fiance, Radek Stepanek, the top seed at the BMW Tennis Championship Challenger Wednesday evening.

"I'm just a tennis fan,'' said Vaidisova, 20, who refused to confirm reports that she has turned down a wild card into the Sony, is retired and will marry her 17th-ranked compatriot. "You can talk to Radek.''

However, the Czech Daily Report has quoted her stepfather and former coach Alex Kodat as saying she is, "fed up with tennis.''

"Her agent told me last week. She's fed up with tennis and that's understandable. She started very young," Kodat said.

Vaidisova, who reached a career-high No. 7 in May 2007 at 17 but is now ranked 177th, is no longer listed among the active players on the Sony Ericsson WTA web site.

Meanwhile, Stepanek, 31, who dated former No. 1 Martina Hingis before Vaidisova, downed Ukraine Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-1, 6-3 in a rain-delayed first-round match. And afterwards admitted that the two will be married, but left the retirement issue to his fiance.

"We are getting married,'' said Stepanek, who finished 2009 a career-best 12th. "It's great to have her by my side supporting me. It means so much to me.

"This [retirement] question is for her. If she wants to say something then she would say it.''

Stepanek, who has four ATP titles including two last year, said despite his age, is playing better than ever.

"I'm like a wine. It's getting older and it's getting better,'' said Stepanek, who lost his first match at Indian Wells this week so decided to use the BMW Challenger as a confidence boost for the next Masters 1000 event on Key Biscayne. "I started my career a little bit late so I'm not overused. … I'm trying to keep the pride of the past generation.''

Vaidisova, who burst onto the tennis scene in 2004, won her first tournament (Vancouver) at 15 to become the sixth youngest player to win a title. The 6-foot Czech, who for years has lived and trained at the Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, won three straight tournaments in three weeks in 2005 to became the sixth woman to win her sixth title before her 16th birthday.

She finished 2006 at No. 10, and from June 2006 to July 2007, Vaidisova reached the quarterfinals and semifinals of the French Open, the quarters at Wimbledon, as well as the semifinals in the Australian Open.

But a combination of injuries (wrist), illness and wilting nerves under pressure, as well as her inability to beat many of the top women, including Serena Williams, Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters – a combined 0-10 against - led to her decline.

Vaidisova is 1-3 this year, including losses to then 230th-ranked Christina McHale, 62nd-ranked Kaia Kanepi and recently lost to British teen Heather Watson, No. 487, at a second-tier ITF event in Louisiana.

Stepanek still has his eye on breaking into the Top 10 again (he was briefly No. 8 in 2006), but more importanly wants to get deeper into Grand Slams. His best result was the quarters in the 2006 Wimbledon.

Stepanek, who usually does his ‘worm' dance after winning titles, jokingly said the happy couple may play mixed doubles someday.

"It can happen,'' he smiled.