Petra Kvitova predicts that Carlos Alcaraz will follow in the footsteps of tennis legends.
After experiencing a series of highs and lows on the WTA in recent months, Czech tennis veteran Petra Kvitova, 33, sat down to share her thoughts on fellow player Carlos Alcaraz.
In the run-up to Wimbledon, Kvitova secured a grass-court victory at the bett1 Open Berlin on 17-25th June, before having to withdraw from defending her title at the Eastbourne International taking place between 24th June and 1st July. This is all in the wake of an injury she received after winning the Miami Open on April 1st.
In a recent interview with Flashscore, Kvitova heaped praise onto 20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz.
The Spaniard achieved his first ATP win on grass at the Cinch Championship between 17th and 25th June, where he defeated Alex De Minaur in the final 6-4, 6-4 in less than two hours. This victory at Queen's Club meant that Alcaraz reclaimed his position as world no.1 from Novak Djokovic.
In particular, Kvitova drew attention to Alcaraz's movements on the court, describing them as 'beautiful', before going on to liken him to the tennis greats of Roger Federer and his fellow countryman Rafael Nadal.
"I watch, I like Alcaraz a lot. He's playing great tennis, the way he moves, the things he returns. And in what a way! It's something beautiful, he can serve, he can volley... The game he's showing is really great and I'm glad someone like that is going to follow in the footsteps of Federer and Nadal. That's important for the whole of tennis."
Petra Kvitova speaking to Flashscore:
However, when it comes to who Kvitova thinks will win Wimbledon, her prediction was on the side of reigning champion Novak Djokovic. The Serbian player defeated Nick Kyrgios in last year's final 4–6, 6–3, 6–4, 7–6(7–3).
In terms of her own chances at the SW19, she stated that she has no ambitions, and simply wants to stay in the tournament as long as possible.