A little R&R should help the exhausted Petra Kvitova

Her loss to Madison Keys is probably still bothering the reigning Wimbledon champion, or perhaps she is showing early symptoms of burnout, writes Ahmed Rizvi.

Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic, ranked No 4 in the world, has pulled out of the Indian Wells tournament because of exhaustion. AFP PHOTO / TIMOTHY A. CLARY

Ahmed Rizvi

It is not yet two-and-a-half months into the season and already Petra Kvitova has pulled out of a tournament, at Indian Wells, because of exhaustion.

The news must come as a surprise to most people since the Czech, ranked No 4 in the world, has played a mere four matches since losing to Madison Keys in the third round of the Australian Open on January 24. Overall, she has played 15 matches this year.

“Unfortunately, I have been feeling exhausted on the court in recent weeks and unable to compete at 100 per cent,” Kvitova wrote on her Facebook page last week.

“I will therefore be taking some time out in order to rest and restore my energy levels for the rest of the season.”

Two weeks ago, she was saying something different. “I was disappointed after Melbourne, but it was good for me to have time to recover afterwards,” she wrote in her tour diary for the BBC.

“I feel well, I’m lucky that I don’t have any problems on or off the court.”

So what has happened over the past two weeks to leave her feeling so exhausted? What has consumed so much energy that it has forced the Sydney champion to pull out of a Premier event?

The loss to Keys is probably still bothering the reigning Wimbledon champion, or perhaps she is showing early symptoms of burnout.

Loss of confidence, confusion, anxiety and fatigue are some of the symptoms associated with burnout, but hopefully the Czech, who celebrated her 25th birthday on Sunday, will bounce back after proper rest.

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