Without full strength, Kvitova favored
back, the more it motivated me. I wanted to prove people wrong and I love challenges, so I think that’s what kept me going through the recovery process.”
The 27-year-old Kvitova, who has been ranked as high as No. 2 and is seeded 11th at Wimbledon, only began practicing a couple of weeks before the French Open started in May. She made a last-minute decision to enter the clay-court major and wound up winning her opening match, then losing her next.
In her comeback’s second tournament, last week on grass at Birmingham, England, Kvitova earned the title, beating Ashleigh Barty 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the final with the help of 13 aces.
That total, to Kvitova, was a sign that she is getting closer to the player who succeeds on grass on the strength of a strong serve and powerful forehands.
She pulled out of this week’s tuneup tournament at Eastbourne, England, citing an abdominal injury, but that didn’t stop British bookmakers from considering 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 wideopen draw.
“Seeing that there are not too many, if any, grasscourt 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.”