Kvitova finding her way after arm injury: 'I feel like I forgot how to play the forehand'

CINCINNATI, USA - World No.6 Petra Kvitova is still taking thing day-by-day after struggling to heal a forearm injury that has plagued her since the clay season. The 29-year-old was in good spirits as she spoke to reporters at WTA All Access Hour ahead of the Western & Southern Open, which will be her first tournament since losing in the Round of 16 at Wimbledon in early July. 

Kvitova first injured her left forearm during the clay season, where she was forced to skip Roland Garros and any grass-court lead-up events ahead of Wimbledon. Kvitova withdrew from last week's Rogers Cup to stay in the Czech Republic to rehabilitate her arm.

“I had a tear in my forearm and it’s pretty healed, but something around it is going badly," Kvitova said. "Maybe the scar with the muscle is doing some bad things. Sometimes it’s getting swollen and there’s pain. 

"I was off after Wimbledon for 10 days and I started to practice and it was swollen like a tennis ball. 

“Since I’ve been here, I practiced an hour a day. I really have to take care of it. I don’t know what is going to be, so we will see day by day.”

"I'm fine. Nothing can be worse than my hand injury. It will heal. Just need some time and it's going to be fine."

Kvitova and her team are still trying to source the cause of the injury.

“We thought it might be connected to my hand injury," Kvitova said. "The scars on the fingers and the hand are not really 100%. Maybe I’m holding the racquet a little bit different. Maybe that’s why the tear happened, especially on the clay with the heavy balls, with more topspin than I’m normally playing. Since then it’s probably everything because of this injury. 

"I’m not sure if I started too early, maybe I should skip Wimbledon and have one extra week. But my heart would cry if I missed Wimbledon.”

"I'm trying to get back to how I played before. It's not really easy, to be honest. I'm not sure if it's the mind or the fear that I'm going to feel it again. I'm not sure. I feel like I forgot how to play the forehand a little bit. That's not great."

Kvitova plays her first match in Cincinnati against Maria Sakkari.