Kvitova puts knife horror behind her

PETRA KVITOVA has played down the prospect of achieving one of sport’s great comeback stories, despite being made joint-favourite for Wimbledon after reaching the final of the Aegon Classic in Birmingham.

Kvitova, champion at the All England Club in 2011 and 2014, yesterday beat Lucie Safarova in only her second tournament since a knife attack last December required a four-hour operation to save the use of her left hand. She was leading Safarova 6-1, 1-0 when her Czech compatriot was forced to quit with a leg injury.

She now plays Ashleigh Barty in today’s final after the unseeded Australian defeated former French Open champion Garbine Muguruza 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.

With Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova absent from this year’s Wimbledon, Kvitova is fancied by bookmakers to keep up the sequence of being champion every three years. However, the world No16 has dismissed the idea that she is a serious contender, arguing it is too early for her to compete with the world’s best over a tough fortnight.

‘I didn’t play for six months so I am not really seeing myself as one of those who can win,’ she said. ‘2011, 2014, 2017, it is a fun idea. Maybe when I was a girl, I was superstitious but it is not about superstition now. It is about the performance I show.

‘I couldn’t have imagined a better comeback than I’ve had, what happened to me was very weird. But I still have to be realistic. I’ve tried to show good tennis here. The hand is good. The best news I can have, I am not in pain.’

Kvitova, who suffered tendon damage when an intruder broke into her house posing as a gas man, raced into a 5-0 lead within 18 minutes and took the first set 6-1 with an 108mph service winner.

After dropping her serve in the first game of the second set, a clearly struggling Safarova was forced to retire.