Petra Kvitova is a Czech professional tennis player. She is a former World No.2 in the WTA World Rankings. This career-high rank was achieved in October 2011.
Petra won Wimbledon twice, in 2011 and again in 2014. In 2011, she won the WTA Tour Finals. As a Czech player, she has also represented her country in the Fed Cup and the Hopman Cup, winning several times. In 2016, she also took home the bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics for women’s singles.
| Height / weight | 1.82 m / |
| Born | 8 Mar 1990 |
| Nationality |
Czech Republic
|
| Playing Style | Left Handed |
| Nickname | Czech Lioness |
Player Profile and Early Life
Petra Kvitová was born on March 8, 1990, in Bílovec, Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic). Currently residing and playing out of Monte Carlo, Monaco, she stands 182 cm tall.
Turned pro in 2006, she has been coached by David Kotyza (2008–2016), František Čermák (2016), and Jiří Vaněk (2016–present).
Since her debut, the left-handed player with a two-handed backhand has won US $37 Million in prize money, which puts her 5th in all-time rankings.
She started playing tennis at a young age after her father introduced her to the sport. Growing up, she followed the career of Martina Navratilova, who is also of Czech descent. Navratilova and Kvitova are both left-handed players.
Career
She turned professional in 2006 and played the first match of her career in Szeged, Hungary defeating Dorottya Magas.
She finished the year with another ITF singles title win in the Czech Republic beating Radana Holusuva at the finals. She started 2007 with another ITF match on January 21, 2007, clinching the ITF title in Stuttgart, Germany beating Anne Schaffer.
In February, she overwhelmed Magdeline Ryanrik in the final round, 7-5, 7-6 in Prague claiming another ITF singles title. By the end of the year, she repeated the feat in hard court against the same opponent in Prerov, 7-5, 6-3. She entered and won another ITF main draw match in the Czech Republic on December 16, 2007, beating Ivana Lisjack, 6-4, 6-0.
Her first main draw WTA Tour event in Stockholm only got her to the first round losing to Marta Domachoska. She also entered a major ITF event in Prague but fell in the qualifying round. Her attempt at her first Grand Slam event, the US Open also ended the same way. Kvitova was chosen as a member of the Czech Fed Cup Team in 2007 as well as in 2008.
She opened the 2008 season with a bid at the Australian Open but failed to qualify. Her second-round win at Memphis gave her an impressive win over World No. 8 Venus Williams. She won her first $75,000 ITF match in May at Monzon, Spain, and broke through the Top 100 rising from No. 123 to No. 98. Her best finish this year was in the quarterfinals in Budapest.
After attaining her first Grand Slam and a successful year in 2011, Kvitova saw continued success in 2012. This success included victories at the Hopman Cup and Fed Cup in doubles. The following year was a bit of a struggle for Kvitova, but she was able to recover late in the season.
Despite her success, Kvitova also struggled with issues other than performance when she had to cope with mononucleosis. Although she briefly dropped out of the Top 20 in 2017, 2018 has seen her make a comeback into the Top 10.
While Kvitova fell in the opening round of the 2018 Australian Open, she went on to win the St. Petersburg Ladies’ Trophy. She also became the first left-handed player to have a single title victory in Russia. Her winning spree continued into the 2018 Qatar Total Open but she eventually lost to Amanda Anisimova in the 2018 BNP Paribas Open and Jelena Ostapenko in the 2018 Miami Open.
She went on to win the 2018 J&T Banka Prague Open and the 2018 Mutua Madrid Open. The following competitions were marred by upsets and injuries but she was able to finish 2018 in the top 7 spot in the world. For the seventh time in her career, she was also awarded the Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award.
In 2019, she lost to Naomi Osaka in the championship round of the Australian Open. She returned to the number 2-world ranking after the match but only recorded one more title—the 2019 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix—as of May 2019.
She started 2020 by making the semifinals at Brisbane International. Later, she made it to the quarters of the Aussie Open. She then went on to make the quarter-finals of St Petersburg as well. The COVID-19 pandemic led to a shortened season and it was the first season where she did not win a title.
2021 kicked off with a win against Venus Williams at the Yarra Valley Classic. That year, she also appeared in the main draw of the Aussie Open. Later during the French Open, she was forced to withdraw because of an ankle injury. That year, she also appeared in the Summer Olympics.
2022 saw her exit the Top 30 of the world rankings. The early part of the year was marked by defeats and early exits from tournaments including the Australian Open.
In 2023, she made a comeback and in August 2023, she is currently back in the Top 10 and sits at Number 9 in the World Rankings.
Career Record
Singles
Career Titles: 31
- Highest Singles Ranking: 2 (October 31, 2011)
- Current Singles Ranking: 9 (August 7, 2023)
Best Grand Slam Singles Performances
- Australian Open - F (2019)
- French Open - SF (2012, 2020)
- Wimbledon - W (2011, 2014)
- US Open - QF (2015, 2017)
Other Singles Tournaments
- Tour Finals - W (2011)
Doubles
- Highest Doubles Ranking: 196 (February 28, 2011)
Best Grand Slam Doubles Performance
- Australian Open - 2R (2011)
- French Open - 2R (2010)
- Wimbledon - 1R (2008, 2010, 2011)
- US Open - 1R (2008, 2009, 2010)
Medal Record, Representing the Czech Republic
- Bronze - 2016 Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro, Singles
