Twice champ Kvitova set to return at Wimbledon
LONDON: Two-time champion Petra Kvitova is set to play at Wimbledon this summer, less than seven months after she was stabbed by an intruder in her home, a member of her support team told Reuters on Tuesday.
The Czech, who required four hours of surgery to her left, playing, hand after the December attack at home in her home city of Prostejov, has made a faster than expected recovery and could even be ready to play in the French Open, which begins in Paris this Sunday.
“She is on track for Wimbledon,” Katie Spellman, Kvitova’s publicity manager, told Reuters. “She will make a last minute decision this week about Roland Garros.”
Kvitova, who won Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014, was included on the official entry list for this year’s Championships, which was released yesterday.
“The AELTC is always pleased to welcome former champions back to Wimbledon, and would be delighted if Petra Kvitova is able to compete in The Championships this year,” Wimbledon said in a statement.
“We wish her well with her ongoing preparations to return to competition.”
Kvitova was attacked at around 8.30am on Dec 20 by a man who gained access to her apartment block by posing as a utilities man, before holding a knife to her throat.
In pulling the knife away, Kvitova sustained injuries to tendons in all four fingers and the thumb on her left hand. She said she was “shaken, but fortunate to be alive”.
Doctors had said at the time the “bestcase scenario” was that Kvitova could be playing tennis again within six months.
Throughout her recovery, the 27-yearold has amazed everyone in her team with her positivity and belief that she would be back on Tour, and sooner rather than later.
Last month, Kvitova said she had left her name on the entry list for the French Open, in part to ensure she had a positive mindset as she continued her recovery.
Earlier this month, she posted a photo of herself practising in Monte Carlo.
The draw for the French Open is due to be made at Roland Garros tomorrow.
Given the physicality required to play on clay, and the stress of a Grand Slam, it would still be a surprise if she does take her place in the draw at Roland Garros.
If she decides not to play, Kvitova is likely to look to play a warm-up event on grass before Wimbledon, the venue where she has achieved most success.
SHARAPOVA GIVEN WILD CARD
Former world No.1 Maria Sharapova, making a comeback after a 15-month doping ban, has been awarded a wild-card entry into the Toronto WTA tournament, Tennis Canada announced on Tuesday.
The 30-year-old Russian star, a five-time Grand Slam champion, was refused a wildcard spot by French Open organisers but Sharapova has said she will play in Wimbledon qualifying, needing three wins to reach the main draw.
Sharapova will make her first appearance in Canada since 2014 at the Rogers Cup, to be played Aug 7-13, as a hardcourt tuneup for the year’s final Grand Slam event, the US Open, which begins on Aug 28.