Champion returning to form ahead of major

her among the likeliest to win Wimbledon: William Hill, for example, listed Kvitova as the favorite.

“I’m surprised at how well I’m playing, for sure,” Kvitova said. “It’s [a] very nice surprise. … I wasn’t sure if I would have the strength in my grip to hit as hard as before, but I showed in Birmingham that my serve is there and so is my forehand. Hopefully it will keep getting better as my fingers get stronger.”

Serena Williams is sitting out the rest of the season while pregnant, and Maria Sharapova is skipping Wimbledon because of an injured left thigh, so there are only two past champions in the field: Kvitova and Williams’ sister, five-time winner Venus.

Chris Evert, an 18-time major champion, thinks Kvitova could emerge from what’s considered a wide-open draw.

“Seeing that there are not too many, if any, grass-court specialists in the tournament, she is the one that I think everybody has to look out for,” said Evert, who will call matches for ESPN. “I think that was such a scare that she went through, it’s made her just appreciate the game a lot more. She’s certainly more relaxed. You can tell by her press conferences, the way she speaks, she’s just happy to be out there. That’s just freeing her up to play her best tennis.”

The quality of her tennis has pleased Kvitova, to be sure.

More pleasing: The way she’s been welcomed back to the tour.

“One of the nicest things has been the reaction of the other players. I have had a lot of players coming up to say hi to me and give me a hug,” Kvitova said. “I got a lot of messages when I won in Birmingham, and I heard a lot of players were very emotional in the locker room when I played my first match in Paris. So it’s been great to see everyone again and feel that positive energy from my colleagues.”