Doctors have given an update on the condition of Petra Kvitova a day after she was attacked during a burglary in her apartment in the Czech Republic.
The two-time Wimbledon champion required almost four hours of surgery in northern town of Vysoke nad Jizerou on Tuesday after a knife slashed her left hand, causing damage to all fingers as well as the tendons. Kvitova described the damage as ‘severe’ in a recent Facebook post, but doctors believe that she will be able to return to the tour in the future.
Radek Kebrle, who operated on Kvitova, has confirmed that the Czech could return to the court after six months in ‘the best case scenario.’ Providing the success of her rehab, Kvitova should be able to grip a tennis racket for the first time after three months, but will still not be able to play until a few months after.
— Katie Spellman (@Spellman_Katie) December 21, 2016
Set for an uncertain future following the injury, Kvitova is reportedly still focused on returning to action as soon as possible. Karel Tejkal, who is a spokesman for Kvitova, told Czech media that the 26-year-old is already plotting her return to the tour after her successful end to this year. After the US Open Kvitova won titles in Wuhan and Zhuhai.
“She kept saying: ‘Let them put me together fast, no matter if it takes months or years.’ She is looking forward to training again.” Tekjal said.
In the wake of what has been a traumatic experience for Kvitova, fellow players on the tour have publicly shown their support for the former world No.2. The Czech is regarded as one of the most engaging characters on the tour and is highly respected by both fans and her rivals. French Open champion Garbine Muguruza told Kvitova to ‘stay strong and recover well’ on her social media account, Sabine Lisicki said it ‘was impossible to find words for what happened’ and Svetlana Kuznetsova described the incident as ‘crazy’.
Kvitova has enjoyed popularity throughout her career. Between 2012- 2015 she reached the top ten in the WTA’s ‘most popular player of the year’ in three out of four years. In 2016 she finished just outside the top 10 at 16th. She currently has a combined Twitter and Facebook following of over one million (654,000 Facebook likes and 371, 000 Facebook fans).
