Knife attack Wimbledon champion: I can move my fingers again
STILL smiling, though sporting a heavilybandaged arm, the bravery of tennis star Petra Kvitova was clear to see yesterday.
Speaking just days after her horrific ordeal when she was stabbed by a burglar, the 26-year-old said being able to move the fingers on her left hand was her ‘greatest Christmas present’.
The two-time Wimbledon champion suffered severe injuries to her left hand as she struggled with the knifeman in her apartment on Tuesday.
The intruder had gained entry to Miss Kvitova’s home in Prostejov, in the Czech Republic, by posing as a boiler engineer, before pulling out a knife and putting it to her throat.
The world number 11 underwent an immediate four-hour operation, but it is feared that the injuries to her tennis-playing hand – damaged tendons in all four of her fingers and her thumb, as well as two damaged nerves – could threaten her career.
However, yesterday, during a press conference in Prague, Miss Kvitova appeared to be optimistic, saying: ‘I’m happy to tell you I’m feeling well.
‘Yesterday morning, during a session with the doctor, I was able to move the fingers on my left hand. This to me is the greatest Christmas present I could have wished for.’
Miss Kvitova added: ‘While what happened to me was very scary, I do not see myself as a victim, I do not feel sorry for myself and I will not look backwards.
‘I will use all my energy to focus on my recovery, and will do everything I can to return to the sport I love as soon as possible.’
The Czech sportswoman has been told she will not be able to hold a racket for three months, with a return to the court estimated in six months. She said: ‘It does not really matter to me how long it will take [to play again], whether it is three months, six months, a year or however long.
‘But certainly I want to return one day and I will do everything possible to do so.
‘I have been overwhelmed by the flood of messages and love I have received from the tennis family, fans and the public – thank you.’
An identikit photo of Miss Kvitova’s attacker was released by police on Thursday – but he remains at large.