Petra Kvitova Returns to Tennis at ATX Open After Maternity Leave

Like a lot of regular tennis players, two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova prefers her time on a court to count for something. That’s why she chose the ATX Open as her first event since having a baby last July. Currently unranked, Kvitova accepted a wild card into the singles draw as she starts her comeback to professional tennis.

“I’m not a person who likes to practice,” said Kvitova, 34, who was speaking during the ATX Open Media Day on Sunday.  “I like to a lot play matches, basically.

That’s what I love the most, to be honest, like the tennis itself.”

“I know I would be very, very tired of the practicing, and the tournament here in Austin sounds like a good, very good idea before going to Indian Wells,” the two-week event in the California desert.  “I’ve never been in Texas, never been in Austin, so it’s a nice experience.”

The maternity leave was, of course, very different from her forced absence from the tour after her left and serving hand was badly damaged during a 2016 home invasion. She said her mindset then was “totally different.”

“I came back because I missed tennis,” she said. “I missed competition. I wanted to, you know, have a one more try. “

This time, after having a baby, she wasn’t sure if she would return to competitive tennis.

“When I played my last match in China” in January 2023, “I couldn’t imagine I’m coming back to be honest. But I wasn’t 100 percent sure. That’s why I didn’t retire … I had an open mind.”

She said she then couldn’t imagine herself traveling around the world with a baby. “But he’s a very good boy,” she said referring to baby Petr, who’s here in Austin with her coach/husband Jiri Vanek.

After the pregnancy, she said she felt as if she wanted “to do something.” She started seeing results after running and working out. But she added her game is not yet 100 percent.

“But the shots are there,” said Kvitova, who won Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014.  “So I was like, ‘OK, yeah, that’s fun.’ We tried to practice and, yeah, now I’m here.”

Kvitova is aiming to get her game in gear in time for the summer’s grass court season. She said she’s not sure how she well she will fare at the ATX Open, starting with her first-round matchup against Jodie Burrell, ranked No. 189.

“It would be difficult in this kind of situation when everybody is playing so well,” Kvitova said. “So I will see how everything goes. But to be honest, I don’t have any goal. I will be very happy if maybe I’m in a few games, maybe a match.”