"I miss tennis and competing" – Petra Kvitová's return won't be short term, looks for prolonged comeback
WTA
Petra Kvitová has announced her return to professional tennis after giving birth to her first child. The two-time Wimbledon champion plans to make her competitive comeback at the ATX Open in Austin, Texas, in February, with Indian Wells and Miami also in her sights.
Kvitová has had an illustrious career, and fans are eager to see how she performs on her return to the tour.
The career of Petra Kvitová
Hailing from the Czech Republic, Kvitová is known for her powerful left-handed game and dominance on the court. Over her career, she has secured 31 WTA singles titles, including two Wimbledon championships.
She has reached a career-high ranking of world No. 2 and also claimed a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
In June 2024, Kvitová gave birth to her first child and is now preparing to make her return to professional tennis. She shared the news with her fans on social media, expressing her excitement.
"I miss tennis and competing, so I'm looking forward to returning."
"I can't wait to see all my fans worldwide," Kvitová said. "Thank you very much for supporting me. It will be a nice journey, and I can't wait."
Why Kvitová decided to return
In an interview with Česká Televize Sport, Kvitová spoke about why this was the right time for her to make a comeback, suggesting it might be her last opportunity to return to the tour.
Speaking in her native language, her comments were translated into English.
"After giving birth, I needed to go for runs, ride a bike, just to sweat. And I enjoyed playing tennis whenever I did. So, I want to give it another try."
"I've never said I'm retiring, which I'm glad about because now I don't have to reverse any decisions. I've always kept the door open."
Balancing tennis and motherhood
Kvitová has the full support of her family as she prepares for her return to the WTA Tour.
"Both grandmothers are great, which is wonderful. In Prague, we'll probably have help, and at tournaments, we'll have to manage somehow. For instance, my brother is coming with us to America to help with babysitting."
She also draws inspiration from fellow tennis-playing mothers, including Naomi Osaka and Elina Svitolina.
"I know my friend Belinda Bencic had her mom with her in Australia for a month. Players like Naomi Osaka or Elina Svitolina also travel with their children. But everyone has to figure it out for themselves."
Expectations for her return
Kvitová is realistic about her expectations and is focused on taking things one step at a time.
"I don't have any expectations. I know it won't be easy. I'll be happy for every match I win."
Kvitová’s return to the court is an exciting moment for the sport, and fans will be eager to see how she performs in her comeback tournaments.
Welcome back, @Petra_Kvitova 🤩https://t.co/SUlffGGYZU
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) February 4, 2025
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- No, writer, we were not "stunned". If you knew your business you would have been aware of her statement last weekend re: her knee and retirement. The main take-away here is that Simona went out on her own terms. She surely wanted to play again after WTA & ITIA screwed her out of her final productive seasons. Personally, I believed she was going to make this announcement when I saw the President and his family in their box seats. Good for Simone -- now she can move on to other things as she said she would.
mandoist04-02-2025 - It sounds seriously absurd that in Davis Cup, (unlike Grand Slams such as the Aus Open), medical time outs off court with the medical staff are not allowed?? I mean, if this was an Aus Open match, and the same thing happened to Gurin then, he would have been able to go off court for official medical time out and make an informed decision whether to resume the match or retire. How come such conditions do not apply in Davis Cup?? I mean, there with Davis Cup, it is even more like a soccer match or basketball game in that teams are playing. And so as with those, it ought to be the case in tennis that if a player needs serious medical time out, then one of the other team mates ought to substitute and each team needs to have stand-ins or understudies in case substitution is needed which will be rare but as we can see here, this kind of circumstance fits. But even if the teams do not go down the road of subbing other team mates in, in case of a health issue like the one which played out here, at least, as in the Aus Open and other Grand Slams, there ought to be time-outs with the health professionals and at the conclusion of these time-outs, the particular decision that has been reached between them and the player needs to be taken on board by the umpire. PERIOD.
Sueiyin04-02-2025 - "If Novak did this, he would be defaulted for life. WTF." 🤣 WTF sounds like What Tennis Fury?! What Tennis Flurry??! I mean, se-rious-ly, it was actually the unfairness of the silly umpire's decision that is the issue here! Further, how come it was Gurin & his team who got disqualified? If this kind of thing happens in soccer, it would be the other guy getting the yellow or red card! Because after all, it was the Belgian who's foul it was so why then penalize the opponents for something they didn't instigate? Fouls in both basketball and soccer are read as a hinderance that has been caused by the player who INITIALLY instigated the hinderance. In this case, okay, it is tennis, but while the precise rules are different to either soccer or basketball, the same type of recognition as to whoever instigates a hinderance should apply, and in this case, it was the Belgian player.Sueiyin04-02-2025
- Medvedev talking to his form here. "Some actual deep problem." 🤣😂🤣MrAndreeva03-02-2025
- "Hopefully, the team around her will help... " Actually, the lack thereof seems to have been part of the problem(s). Another possibility is that, while dealing with legitimate surgeries, withdrawing, and otherwise passing on events, the competition has stepped-up in intensity while she was busy with traveling, photo shoots, and TV commercials.mandoist03-02-2025
- Ha-ha-ha... Translation: I'll help as long as I don't have to meet in person and endure the ongoing BS"mandoist03-02-2025
- Well said.mandoist03-02-2025
- So tennisuptodate doesn't even make this event a headline on this site? I had to find it hidden here. Not a word about Yastremska trying to ruin Alexandrova's celebration with her postgame actions?? According to WTA regulations, Yastremska has some punishment coming her way for walking-off court, blowing-off postgame rituals with the winner; including no photos, etc.mandoist03-02-2025
- "So while perhaps the big issue of having to wait for a call-up is there, so is the coaching carousel. .." Well, there you go. Emma's 'career' in one precise sentence. Sponsors bailing-out on her will follow (so far, only Porsche and Dior).mandoist02-02-2025
- Typical narcissistic cynicism of Kyrgios! Very rarely has a decent word to say about anything. He's abusive, jeeringly loud and obnoxious. He needs to be officially called out by both the ATP and ITF for using foul language in public spaces such as social media. The guy's a vampiric hoon who sucks the lifeblood out of tennis by trying to bolster popularity of the good-for-nothing bad boy image. I once admired Kyrgios for his previous good-willed willingness to get honest help for his mental health issues but that all went down the drain once he figured he could reel money in through publicity stunts using the negativity of his problems in such a way as to declare them 'no longer problems' but something which he could become more entangled in just to boost an anti-hero image. Shame on him for turning his back on common human decency and good-willed fraternity. Instead he opts to make a 'hero' out of villany. I'm sorry Nick but u are only doing more harm to yourself in the long run by trying to serve up a bad name for the sport you claim to so proudly represent. Get real mate, tennis is not for hoons, neither is hoon-behaviour the hallmark of sporting integrity. It's an utter disgrace!Sueiyin02-02-2025
