Back on court after knife attack, Kvitova wins first round of French Open
Less than six months after a knife attack at her home, Petra Kvitova was back competing on a tennis court Sunday, winning her firstround match at the French Open.
Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon champion, had very little trouble in her return, beating 86th-ranked Julia Boserup of the United States 6-3, 6-2 in 74 minutes.
"I think it doesn't really matter how I played, but I won," Kvitova said. "I won already, before."
Indeed, just being there under a cloud-filled sky in the main stadium at Roland Garros was a victory for Kvitova, who needed surgery on her left hand — the one she holds her racket with — after being stabbed by an intrud- er in the Czech Republic in late December. She was undecided until late last week whether to even try to play in the French Open.
"It's a pleasure to be here. I'm really glad that we made this decision that I'm going to play here," Kvitova told the crowd during an on-court interview.
Then, addressing her guest box, which included her parents and brother, she said: "Thank you for everything you helped me through (in) this difficult time."
In one other early result of significance on Day 1, 2015 U.S. Open runner-up Roberta Vinci exited the French Open in the first round for the fourth year in a row. The 31st-seeded Vinci, most famous for ending Serena Williams' hopes of a calendar year Grand Slam by beating her in the semifinals at Flushing Meadows in 2015, lost to Rio Olympics gold medalist Monica Puig 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.