Petrova won a total of 37 titles on the WTA Tour in her career, 13 in singles and 24 in doubles, as well as over $12.4 million in prize money, making her one of the most successful Russian tennis players of all time.

Equally successful in doubles, Petrova's career highlights included winning the year-ending WTA Championships twice, with Meghann Shaughnessy in 2004, and with compatriot Maria Kirilenko in 2012.

She also won a total of nine Tier I/Premier Mandatory titles (including three in Miami in 2004, 2012 and 2013), was a seven-time Grand Slam doubles semifinalist, a twenty-time major quarterfinalist, and finished with a year-end top-ten ranking four times.

Petrova announced her retirement from professional tennis on 11 January 2017 at the age of 34, due to a multitude of injuries and a nearly three-year absence from the tour (she played her last pro match in April 2014).

The pair defeated the second seeds Kuznetsova and Elena Likhovtseva in the semifinals, then beat Cara Black and Rennae Stubbs to win the title, the biggest of Petrova's career.

After making the semifinals in Amelia Island and the quarterfinals in Charleston, Petrova reached her third career final (and first at Tier I level) at the German Open in May, beating Mary Pierce, Amélie Mauresmo and Jelena Janković, before losing to Justine Henin-Hardenne.

At the French Open, Petrova defeated 17-year-old Ana Ivanovic in the quarterfinals before losing to Henin-Hardenne 6–2, 6–3 in the semifinals; her performance at the tournament saw her ranking rise to world No.

She thrashed Maria Sharapova 6–1, 6–2, but lost here other two singles matches to Patty Schnyder and Lindsay Davenport meaning she exited at the round robin stage.

However, despite being one of the favorites for the French Open, Petrova suffered an ankle injury during training just days before the start of the tournament and was upset in the first round by Akiko Morigami, 2–6, 2–6.

She then continued her return to form by reaching her seventh singles final of the year at the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, losing to compatriot Anna Chakvetadze.

At the Open Gaz de France in Paris, Petrova picked up her seventh career tour title and first of the season by beating Lucie Šafářová.

After choosing not to compete in Charleston, Petrova failed to defend her title in Berlin, losing to Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals, before retiring from her third-round match at the Italian Open due to low back pain.

She still managed to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open though as the 14th seed with wins over Nicole Pratt, Anne Kremer, and Ekaterina Makarova, all in straight sets.

Petrova's injuries continued to strike -when she was forced to retire in the second round of Miami with a right quad strain while trailing 1–2 in the first set against Zheng Jie.

At the German Open in Berlin, Petrova returned to action as the 16th seed and defeated Katarina Srebotnik in a three-setter the first round, before losing in the second to Maria Kirilenko, 3–6, 3–6.

In the fourth round, she faced unseeded Alla Kudryavtseva who just came off a win over third seed Maria Sharapova; Petrova won to reach her second quarterfinal at Wimbledon, and her seventh at major level.

At the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, Petrova was unseeded, but beat two top–10 players, Ana Ivanovic, the second seed in the second round, and Agnieszka Radwańska to reach the semifinals, where she lost 1–6, 0–6 to Dinara Safina, the eventual champion.

Two weeks later in Stuttgart, she reached her third final of the season, after an impressive run, beating Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová, Patty Schnyder, Li Na, and Victoria Azarenka in straight sets.

Petrova was a quarterfinalist at her home event, the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, beating teenager Caroline Wozniacki, before losing to compatriot and third seed Elena Dementieva, 4–6, 6–4, 6–7.

However, she won the doubles title (her third of the season) with Katarina Srebotnik as the pair defeated the defending champions, Cara Black and Liezel Huber, in the final.

Nevertheless, because of defending champion Maria Sharapova's absence due to shoulder surgery and Ana Ivanovic's third round loss, Petrova's ranking moved back inside the top 10 for the first time since early 2007.

Petrova next headed to Ponte Vedra Beach as the top seed, where she defeated Olga Govortsova, Madison Keys (who had just won her first main-draw match), and Alona Bondarenko.

The pair was able to reach the finals of both events, but could not come away with the elusive Sunshine Double, falling to Květa Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik at Indian Wells and Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta in Miami.

Petrova began her clay-court season in Charleston and won her first two matches in straight sets against Vania King and Aleksandra Wozniak, before losing to Wozniacki in the quarterfinals.

She defeated her former doubles partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands to advance to the quarterfinals, and then had an impressive 6–2, 6–1 victory over second seed Samantha Stosur for her fourth top-ten win of the season.

She then retired against Sabine Lisicki in the second round at Miami after receiving a first-round bye, and reached the doubles final with Huber, where they were beaten by Daniela Hantuchová and Agnieszka Radwańska.

She defeated Alexandra Mueller, 17 year-old phenom Eugenie Bouchard, Bojana Jovanovski, and top seed Shahar Pe'er in the final, winning her tenth career singles title and her first in nearly three years.

Petrova chose to reunite with Maria Kirilenko in doubles; the pair reached the semifinals before falling to defending champions Shvedova and King, her fourth loss to the duo in the last six majors.

[8] Petrova failed to gain traction in singles over the remainder of the early hardcourt season, but won the doubles title in Miami with Maria Kirilenko over the Italian team of Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci.

In doubles with Kirilenko, the duo lost to defending (and eventual) gold medalists Serena and Venus Williams in the semifinals, but came back from a set down to defeat the No.