grand slams

Kvitova 'couldn't wish for more' in Down Under return

3m read 14 Jan 2018 7y ago
Petra Kvitova (Getty)

Nearly a year removed from a moment which could've ended her career, Petra Kvitova is in a much different place ahead of the Australian Open.

Last season at this time, the Czech was recovering from surgery to her left hand, as a result of a knife attack from an assailant who broke into her home in the Czech Republic in late December.

"I went to Gran Canaria to escape a little bit after the surgery. At the beginning of the year, when the tournaments started, it was OK. But I didn’t like the feeling when the grand slam began," the Czech wrote in an exclusive column Australia’s PlayersVoice earlier this week.

"It wasn’t my decision not to play, so it was a deeper feeling than I thought it would be. I missed the Australian Open last year. I missed Australia."

Nearly six months later, Kvitova returned to tennis last spring at the French Open, and the tour welcomed her back with open arms. 

"I’m happy I was able to come back in the middle of the season last year. If I’d missed all season then it would be more difficult to come back, of course, and without any ranking," she wrote. "The players were very nice. I saw a beautiful video which they sent to me. It was very supportive and was wishing me well in my recovery.

"Even coming back at the French Open, most of them hugged me, most of them cried, so it was very nice to see that we are all like a family."

Kvitova, who was nominated for the WTA's Comeback Player of the Year award last year but lost out to US Open champion Sloane Stephens, won a title at the Aegon Classic in Birmingham and reached the quarterfinals in Flushing Meadows. 

"The US Open was definitely where I played my best tennis since my comeback. It was a great event for me. I played amazing matches over there. Unfortunately, I lost to Venus in the quarterfinals but I put up a big fight.

"Of course, that match hurt me a lot at the time, but I’m glad that I showed myself that I can still compete with the best on the tour."

In retrospect, though, the two-time Grand Slam champion revealted that success might've come too soon.

"I didn’t really think about the result or the pressure and I somehow just ended up with the title - but the surprise – I couldn’t just handle it. I think it was too early to play like that, because I definitely thought, ‘OK, now I should win again,’ and I didn’t, so the mental side was hurt a little bit by this.

"That was the real life coming. Every day, every match was just difficult to play again. The nerves were there. Everything came back."

The latest stop on Kvitova's comeback tour is Melbourne Park and the Australian Open. For most players, the first Grand Slam of the year marks a fresh start, and the beginning of the new season.

I still have the flashbacks sometimes. Unfortunately, it will probably be there with me forever. It really doesn’t matter where I am. Sometimes it happens on the court, sometimes it happens when I’m with my family, sometimes it happens when I’m alone somewhere, maybe inside my apartment.

- Petra Kvitova

For Kvitova - especially in 2018 - there's a little more meaning behind the year's first major.

"For me, I think the Australian Open is on second place after Wimbledon – maybe the equal. I love the place, I love the people, I love playing here. It’s a little bit different compared to Wimbledon, but both of the places have some magic," she wrote.

"I will be very excited to come on the court in Melbourne. Obviously, I will be very nervous, of course, plus I have a tough match against Andrea Petkovic. But every match at a grand slam is a battle so I’m really looking forward to being out there."

The two-time Wimbledon champion was a semifinalist in Australia in 2012 and also made the quarterfinals in 2011. She holds a slim 5-4 head-to-head advantage over Petkovic, but the two have not played in nearly 18 months.

"Can I win this tournament? I’m not talking about that. That’s not who I am," Kvitova added. "Everybody is starting with the same nerves. Nobody knows how they are going to feel at the start of the season. I can say that it’s a pleasure to be here and play again. I’m really enjoying it.

"I’ve had such a warm welcome everywhere and it’s the same here in Australia. The people are really happy to see me again on the court and on the tour as well.

"It’s a nice feeling. I couldn’t wish for more."

Click here to read Kvitova's full column at the PlayersVoice.