Two-time former Wimbledon Champion Petra Kvitova has pulled out of the Aegon International at Eastbourne just a week before Wimbledon is due to begin.
The Czech star had won the Birmingham event on Sunday with a three-set win over Australia’s Ashleigh Barty. Despite the withdrawal alarm bells should not be ringing just yet for fans of the star. Though she suffered a horrific knife attack during the off-season in the Czech Republic, she has done well to recover and seemed in commanding form in Birmingham.
It is very possible that she is following in the footsteps of Feliciano Lopez. The Spaniard, 35, won his first Queen’s title with victory over Marin Cilic. With so many grass court matches under his belt Lopez elected to withdraw from the men’s draw in Eastbourne. This was with a view to resting ahead of Wimbledon, which begins on Monday.
Kvitova could well be doing the same. Certainly her run to the title in Birmingham suggests she is well in tune with the grass already, and may not want to push too hard too soon, especially with a grand slam approaching.
