When Petra Kvitova suffered a horrific hand injury after a knife attack, it was the prospect of playing at Wimbledon that motivated her to return to the tour.
Walking onto Centre Court on Monday, where she had previously won two titles at SW19, the memories came flying back. Playing in only her eighth match since returning to the tour in May, Kvitova experienced a stern test against Sweden’s Johanna Larsson. Dropping her serve twice, once in each set, the 11th seed battled to a 6-3, 6-4, victory.
“It was amazing to step on it again.” Kvitova said about her return to Centre Court. “I felt the energy from the crowd today and it was amazing to be back here in Wimbledon, playing on the beautiful centre court..”
“It was amazing to win on it.” She added.
Relishing in her winning start to the tournament, Kvitova knows that she has further work to do. Against Larsson, she produced a total of five double faults and 22 unforced errors. The figures are understandable considering this is only her third tournament of 2017, but the 27-year-old is eager to seek improvement.
“I’m still missing the matches. It is training, which you can’t really train,” Kvitova explained when trying to pinpoint her issues.
“I think I was a bit tight today. I was nervous before and that’s probably why I started a little bit badly with my serve. I need to improve for sure my serve and my groundstrokes.”
Besides her left hand, an abdominal injury has also disrupted Kvitova’s preparation for the third grand slam of the year. That issue now appears to be in the past after she declared she felt ‘no pain’ during her first round encounter. Regardless of the bad timing, the Czech no longer cares as she once again returns to winning ways on her beloved Centre Court.
“It was my own motivation to come back to come (to Wimbledon) back and play. I am very happy that the dream came true and I was able to back back here to play again.”
The envy of others
Despite her recent absence from the tour and the fact she has never been world No.1, Kvitova remains a formidable force in the world of tennis. Both players and fans have publicly praised the Czech and her return to the tour. The most recent being French Open finalist Simona Halep.
“I think it’s a great thing what she’s doing. She’s really strong. She has a strong personality.” Said Halep, who defeated Marina Erakovic 6-4, 6-1, in her opening match.
Leading into Wimbledon, Kvitova excelled her own expectations by winning the Birmingham International. What was the most impressive aspect was the fact she clinched the title without dropping a set in the entire tournament. An achievement that has been hailed by her Romanian rival.
“That she’s winning again on grass is normal, in my opinion, because she is a very good player on grass court. She has a big chance also here.” Halep stated.
“I think Petra deserves what is happening now. She’s a very good person. I hope that she’s going to go through and win matches because she’s a good person.
Tipped as a title contender, Kvitova will play Madison Brengle or Richel Hogenkamp in the second round on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Halep faces Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia.
