Nicole Vaidisova born 23 April 1989 is a Czech female tennis player who is currently retired.
Vaidišová is an Australian Open and French Open semifinalist and also reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. Vaidišová started playing tennis when she was six years old, enrolling to train at Nick Bollettieri's tennis academy in Bradenton, Florida. Her serve was considered her biggest weapon. On 9 August 2006, at the age of 17 years, three months, and two weeks, she became the 12th-youngest player in WTA Tour history to be ranked in the top 10. She achieved a career-high ranking of World No. 7 on 14 May 2007. Her form dipped shortly after, and at the time her retirement was announced in 2010, she was ranked at No. 177.
From March 2009, she was coached by her stepfather, Ales Kodat, who replaced David Felgate. By the end of 2009, she had hired top coach Eric van Harpen. Her stepfather announced that she had retired in March 2010, citing "lack of interest in tennis" as the primary reason.
She was introduced to tennis by her mother, Riana. She has two younger brothers, Oliver and Toby. Vaidišová follows the NHL, primarily supporting the Tampa Bay Lightning and enjoys reading, watching movies, yoga and bike riding. She likes pop music and is a fan of Madonna. She lists New York City as her favourite city because of its constant activity. Vaidišová speaks Czech, English, German and is studying French. She became engaged to fellow Czech tennis player Radek Štěpánek, who is eleven years her senior, in late 2007. It has been suggested that the relationship was the cause of Vaidišová's decline in tennis.The two married on 17 July 2010 at Prague Castle.
Vaidisova was the face of Reebok and has been featured in their "I Am What I Am" and "Run Easy" campaigns. She also endorsed Citizen Watches and its Eco-Drive design. She is represented by Olivier van Lindonk of IMG. During her career she had been using Yonex racquets.
An avid reader, Vaidišová is part of the "Get Caught Reading Campaign" to encourage people to read more. She has taken part in other philanthropic causes, such as becoming an ambassador for PlayPumps International, a non-profit organisation dedicated to bringing clean drinking water to African children.
