Tennis player Petra Kvitová did not succeed in the grand slams this year. The end of the third round of the US Open is the best result of the two-time Wimbledon winner. However, she has already experienced similar results, she is not collapsing and she believes that she can still find in herself the mental strength to prepare for the next years, but she cannot estimate how many of them she still has ahead of her.
“After everything I’ve been through in recent days and weeks, the third round is good,” Kvitova recalled after losing to Greek Maria Sakkari’s recent intestinal problems a fortnight ago in Cincinnati. “I wanted more, I’m not happy and I know I have more to do. I’ll keep trying to train and work to be better. I’m not collapsing, life goes on,” said the 31-year-old tennis player.
As in 2018, she did not make it to the third round in the most watched grand slams. She finished at the Australian Open in the second round and resigned from Roland Garros before the second match, injuring her ankle during media duties. Preparation for the grass was therefore limited and she left the popular Wimbledon after the first round. She didn’t do well at the Tokyo Olympics either.
“It’s not a perfect season, but there are timelines when it doesn’t work out at all,” said Kvitova, whose highlight this year was the Doha title. Her balance is currently 26 won and 15 lost. “It’s not over yet, but sometimes there are seasons like that and it’s up to me not to get away with it and continue to find energy and motivation. To work mainly in preparation and then start it.”
According to the trustee of coach Jiří Vaňek, it will be important to relax and recharge your batteries. “You mainly. I’m some age, I have to concentrate on the body and especially on the head,” said Kvitová, who said before the season that she did not expect to play after the age of thirty. It is becoming more and more difficult for her to play top tennis every year, defend points and fight the rising generation. “Girls who are bloated. But I’m not complaining. It’s a privilege. So I take it and face it.”
And how many seasons do the former world number two, the queen of the Tournament of Champions and or the six-time Fed Cup winner still have ahead of them? “I don’t know, it’s probably in the stars right now,” she said.
It is clear that she feels worn out and has been most affected by the restrictions due to coronavirus. “I was most squeezed by bubbles, playing without spectators, without atmosphere, without energy. It’s not like that,” she said. That’s why she took the defeat with Sakkari better in front of the audience. “Even though I lost today, I was glad that the spectators were there and cheered and enjoyed it. That’s why I play. I love tennis, it’s a beautiful sport. I’ll either ruin it or screw it up, but I’m always there for the spectators in some way, “she added.
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