By Jane Voigt — Tennis With An Accent
There are heavy favorites and there are the ones that tug at our hearts. As Wimbledon moves to Week 2, one woman comes in view as a heartfelt pick: Petra Kvitova.
Petra Kvitova (the No. 9 seed in 2023) won Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014, but hasn’t advanced to Week 2 for 10 years. She’s there now, prepared to face the 2022 runner-up, Ons Jabeur (No. 6) on Monday. The territory will seem familiar, but every match is an entity in and of itself. Either woman could prevail. Yet Kvitova’s backstory sets a perfect stage built on talent, frustration, hope, and perseverance.
In December, 2016, Kvitova was attacked by a man wielding a knife, in her apartment in Prostejov, Czech Republic. She sustained “severe damage to her left hand,” The New York Times wrote. Kvitova confirmed the reporting on Facebook, “In my attempt to defend myself, I was badly injured on my left hand. I am shaken but fortunate to be alive.”
Her post was straightforward and revealed her courageous nature, “If you know anything about me, I am strong and I will fight this.” She wanted to be “put together fast, no matter if it takes months or years.” She was already looking forward to training.
She only missed one Grand Slam in 2017, the Australian Open, which, given the severity of her injuries to her dominant left hand, four surgeries, and intensive physical therapy, was nothing less than miraculous. Tendons and nerves repair slowly. The mental aspect of the trauma repairs even slower.
“The physical part of recovery was a little bit easier and went a little bit better than the mental side,” Kvitova shared with Bonnie Ford of espn.com.
As she recovered and marched through the years on tour, Kvitova fed off the love from fans. “I felt a lot from the fans and from the players and WTA,” she told Ford. “When I came back in Paris [2017] and I saw all the people looking to me with a happy face. I really felt like it’s pretty honest from them, wishing me well and seeing me back.” She finished 2017 ranked No. 29. Today, she is ranked No. 9, having reached her highest ranking in 2011 at two in the world.
In addition to the two Wimbledon crowns, Kvitova was a finalist in 2019 at The Australian Open, a two-time semifinalist at Roland Garros, and a two-time quarterfinalist at The U. S. Open. She has also won nine WTA 1000 titles and the prestigious end-of-the year Tour Championships in 2011. Additionally she was a bronze medalist at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
This year she entered Wimbledon on a high, having won Berlin for her 31st career title. Yet she still maintains an endearing humility about her chances and the game as a whole. She realizes she has to improve her serve and come to the net more. She doesn’t see herself as one of the favorites, either.
“I don’t see myself as this,” she said, according to asapsports. “I don’t really care about the favorites anymore. I’m happy to be in the second week for the first time since 2014. This is already a big achievement for me.”
Her perspective at 33 reflects a career path scattered with triumph and tragedy. However, her willingness and perseverance to challenge tragedy no matter the toll makes her a sympathetic hero to millions who, in their hearts, know could and just might win her third Venus Rosewater Dish next Saturday at Wimbledon.
Her path forward is a difficult one, which is par for the course at any Grand Slam. She could potentially meet the defending champion, Elena Rybakina, in the quarterfinals, but did upset her to win Miami. That was on a hard court, however.
Other obstacles will pop up. The grass will thin out. The baseline will look more like a home plate in baseball than the pristine perception of lawn tennis on this hallowed ground. Bad bounces will prevail, forcing her to rely on footwork or her net game, as she realizes.
But this Grand Slam event, in particular, carries more weight for Kvitova. Yes, she’s won twice. Yes, she has battled physical and mental trauma since her first Grand Slam appearance in 2008 in Paris. But last year her coach, Jiri Vanek, got down on one knee at Wimbledon to ask for her hand in marriage in a “special place,” she wrote on social media. Therefore the saying “love means nothing to tennis players” means nothing to this happy couple.
Tennis with an Accent 