Kvitova wins first event post lockdown

Prague, May 29: From face masks, racquet bumps, poplar tree fluff everywhere and the prospect of a final played at the press centre, Prague’s first postlockdown tennis tournament offered a plethora of bizarre moments.

The three-day all-Czech event, pitting eight women and eight men, which ended on Thursday, was played under tight health protocols to prevent the spread of the new Coronavirus. “The gloves, face masks, the fact nobody handed us the towels, no handshakes, that was definitely bizarre,” said two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova after winning the women’s part of the event.

“And playing without people, the atmosphere was not exactly what we are used to,” added the 30year-old World No.12, who beat Karolina Muchova 63, 6-3 in the final disrupted by rain. The showers even made organisers contemplate moving the final to a

Czech tennis player Petra Kvitova (right) has a racquet tap after defeating Karolina Muchova 6-3, 6-3 in the final of the Czech Tennis Association President’s Cup in Prague on Thursday. —

nearby hall comprising two courts right next to each other — one ready for the match the other serving as the press centre.

The event was held

behind closed doors, with a handful of spectators demoted to spots behind the fence where they struggled to observe the social distancing rules.

On the court, the line

AFP

judges had to wear face masks, just like the ball boys and girls who also had gloves on to prevent contamination.

Throughout the tournament, the players wore face masks all the way to the court.

MURRAY SET TO RETURN IN JUNE

Andy Murray will return from his latest injury problem on June 23 in a tournament organised by his brother Jamie to raise money for a UK National Health Service charity.

The event, which runs from June 23-28, will see the Murray brothers and fellow British players Kyle Edmund and Dan Evans go head to head at the Lawn Tennis Association’s Roehampton base in London.

It will be screened live on Amazon Prime and aims to raise at least 100,000 pound ($122,000) for the state-run NHS.

With the ATP and WTA seasons postponed due to the Coronavirus, Murray’s first appearance since November’s Davis Cup Finals will be a welcome tonic for tennis fans.

— AFP