Petra Kvitova Is More Than A Crowd Favourite In Paris

Horrifying circumstances led to Petra Kvitova’s “second career.” More than two years after a life-changing incident, the Czech is more than just a sentimental favorite at the French Open

- Peter Bodo

The memory of the man who invaded Kvitova’s home and severely injured her left, hitting hand in December 2016 will never go away.

“I’ve been through many, many things, not really great ones,” the 28-year-old Czech said at this year’s Australian Open, during her runner-up press conference.

Kvitova repeated the words of gratitude she had told her team inside Rod Laver Arena, following a narrow defeat to Naomi Osaka, as she basked in the admiration of a supportive crowd. Her team’s faith and confidence in her, she said, were invaluable.

“I didn’t know if I going to hold the racquet again,” Kvitova said. “But I’m holding it now. Thank you.”

Thus, one chapter in the unexpectedly dramatic life of Petra Kvitova quietly closed on that sultry evening: a tale of powers stolen and now regained. Having done no better than two Grand Slam quarterfinals since winning her second Wimbledon title in 2014, Kvitova appears to be a force at the majors once again.

It wasn’t just that Kvitova reached the Australian Open final, it was how she did it. She won a tune-up title in Sydney, posting straight-set wins over Aryna Sabalenka and Angelique Kerber along the way, and didn’t drop a set in Melbourne until her encounter with Osaka. A few weeks later, Kvitova reached her third final in her first five tournaments of 2019, at the talentladen Dubai event.

Ranked No. 29 at the start of 2018, the former No. 2 was up to No. 3 again by the end of February.

“It’s kind of weird, to be honest,” Kvitova said of her hot start, “Because I didn’t know even if I’m gonna play tennis again.”