Petra Kvitova was hailed as a "warrior" as the two-time Wimbledon champion stepped up preparations for the tournament she loves but feared she would never play again
Petra Kvitova
Petra Kvitova was hailed as a "warrior" as the two-time Wimbledon champion stepped up preparations for the tournament she loves but feared she would never play again.
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Six months on from suffering career-threatening hand injuries when she was stabbed by an intruder at her home, Kvitova was a picture of contentment in London, thrilled to be fit and well two days out from her opening match.
With a police investigation ongoing, Kvitova could not discuss the attack, but she spoke glowingly of the reception she has had on returning to the tour from fellow players.
At times she has wondered whether the warmth has been genuine from all corners of the locker room, where rivalries can be intense, but she has decided that at the very least "most of it is."
"I'm glad that I'm part of the tennis family," said Kvitova.
And it was one of Kvitova's fellow big shots on the women's tour, Victoria Azarenka, who paid her an especially fond compliment. "I can't understand what she went through, on the emotional level," said former world No. 1 Azarenka, who returns to the Grand Slam circuit at Wimbledon with baby son Leo in tow.
"She's such a warrior to be able to just act normal, feel normal in public. It's such a scary thing that happened. The way she recovered from it, it's really inspiring."
Kvitova made her comeback at the French Open in May, and despite a second-round exit in Paris she begins Wimbledon the people's favourite.
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