Player Profile: Petra Kvitova

From time to time, I will highlight one player on both the ATP and WTA tour who already has made an impact, or someone I believe will make an impact to the game. On the women’s side this time, I am writing about Petra Kvitova. Petra Kvitova has already accomplished so much in the sport of tennis, and at 31 years of age, she still has a long way to go until the end of her career. Here are a few things that has made Kvitova’s career memorable so far and the impact she has had on the sport.

The Wimbledon titles

The greatest achievement in the sport of tennis is winning a Grand Slam title. Out of the four Grand Slams, the one that players appreciate and want to win the most is the coveted Wimbledon Championships. Petra Kvitova has had the pleasure of winning the Wimbledon title not only once, but twice in her career so far.

The first time she won the title at Wimbledon was in 2011, a year after she made the semi-finals of a Major for the first time. Kvitova was ranked eight in the world coming into the tournament and was also the eighth seed in the draw. It was an incredible run by the 21-year-old at the time, defeating five seeded players on her way to the title. In the semi-finals, she defeated the four seed Victoria Azarenka, before beating Maria Sharapova in the final to capture her first Grand Slam.

Petra Kvitova won her second Wimbledon title three years later, with two quarterfinals appearances sandwiched in between the two titles. In that 2014 run, Kvitova only lost one set the entire tournament, which was in the round of 32 to American Venus Williams, who was seeded 30th that year. In the semi-finals, Petra Kvitova defeated fellow countrywoman Lucie Safarova, and then defeated Canadian Genie Bouchard in the final 6-3, 6-0, to capture her second Wimbledon title.

The scary incident and the miraculous comeback

It was December of 2016 when a scary incident occurred at her apartment, where a person posing as a utilities man was let into the apartment by Kvitova before attacking her with a knife. In her attempt to defend herself, Kvitova suffered severe lacerations to her left hand, as written about by David Ornstein at BBC Sport. She required a complicated surgery and did not know if she would play tennis again. For her, she was just “fortunate to be alive.” With the lacerations on her playing hand, as she is left-handed, she knew it would be difficult to hold a racket again, but was determined to get back out on the WTA tour.

Just a little more than five months after the stabbing, Kvitova made her return on the WTA tour at the French Open. It was incredible to see her play again after the gruesome attack that completely destroyed her dominate hand. It was a special moment that was made even better as she won her first-round match against American Julia Boserup 6-3, 6-2.

The incredible comeback did not stop there, as after she lost in the second round of the French, she played a WTA 250 event in Birmingham a week and a half later. In that tournament, she showed that the incident had not slowed her down one bit, beating Kristina Mladenovic, Lucie Safarova, and Ash Barty on her way to winning the title. It was an incredible moment, and one that will never be forgotten in the history of tennis.

Other great accomplishments for Kvitova

Kvitova has accomplished so much in the sport, and yet is still only 31 years old. Kvitova is currently ranked number 12 in the world rankings and reached number two in the world at the peak of her career. Her career high ranking was set in October of 2011 after she had won the WTA Tour Finals, a year end event where the top eight in the world compete. It was her first time playing in the event, as she defeated Victoria Azarenka in the final. She would go on to play the event six more times, the last coming in 2019.

Kvitova has won an astounding 28 WTA titles so far in her career, a number I am sure she will add to by the time her career is over. She has already added one more to the list this year, winning the title in the WTA 500 event in Doha, where she defeated Garbine Muguruza in the final. It was her second title in Doha, with the first coming in 2018. Other tournaments she has won more than once include New Haven (3 times), Madrid (3), Sydney (2), Wuhan (2), Birmingham (2), and of course Wimbledon (2).

We know that Kvitova has performed well at Wimbledon, but she has also done well in the other Grand Slams, even without a title to show for it. She is a two-time quarterfinalist at the US Open, which has been her worst performing Grand Slam in her career. She is also a two-time semi-finalist at the French Open, making the semi-finals in last year’s tournament before falling to American Sofia Kenin. The Australian Open is the only other Grand Slam besides Wimbledon in which she has made the finals, losing in the 2019 final to Naomi Osaka in an awfully close three set match. Kvitova also made the semi-finals once in Australia back in 2012 and made it to the quarterfinals in both 2011 and 2020.

Kvitova has consistently stayed at the top of the WTA rankings throughout her career. After making it into the top 10 of the rankings in 2011, she has since failed to finish the year inside the top 10 only twice, with 2016 and 2017 being the lone exceptions. That 2017 end of year ranking has more to do with the knife attack incident than her play, as the attack put her 2017 season on hold until the end of May. In 2016, she finished the year just outside the top 10 at number 11. Since 2011, she has been ranked inside the top 15 in the world at some point each year, which just shows her level of consistency in the sport.

One of the best in her era

Kvitova has accomplished things in the sport that people dream of achieving when they first start playing tennis. Her two Wimbledon titles to go along with 28 total career WTA titles is incredible, and to achieve so much in the sport after a terrible incident that almost took her life is simply remarkable. Kvitova has been one of the best players of this era and will not be forgotten in the sport, even long after she retires, which we all hope is not for a long time.