Petra Kvitova has said she is “fortunate to be alive” after being attacked with a knife and robbed in her home in Prostejove, Czech Republic.
Kvitova, 26, injured her racket-holding left hand in the assault, which saw 5,000 Czech Koruna (Dh705) stolen, according to sport.cz.
“I am shaken, but fortunate to be alive,” the two-time Wimbledon champion wrote on Facebook.
“The injury is severe and I will need to see specialists, but if you know anything about me I am strong and I will fight this.”
Kvitova thanked supporters for their messages of support, described the attack and said that her racket-holding left hand was injured as she defended herself.
“Thank you for all your heartwarming messages,” she said.
“As you may have already heard, today I was attacked in my apartment by an individual with a knife.
“In my attempt to defend myself, I was badly injured on my left hand.
“Thank you all again for your love and support and now I would appreciate some privacy while I focus on my recovery.”
Her publicist Karel Tejkal said it was not a targeted attack.
“It is apparently a random criminal act, Petra is now in the care of doctors,” he said.
Kvitova has now gone to Brno Trauma Hospital for assessment of her injuries, which are not thought to be life threatening.
Earlier on Tuesday, Kvitova announced on Twitter she would be missing January’s Hopman Cup in Perth, Australia as she continues to recover from a foot injury.
Kvitova has two grand slam titles, winning Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014.
She has two WTA singles titles in 2016 and a career total of 19. She is currently ranked No 11 in the world.
* Press Association
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The major Hashd factions linked to Iran:
Badr Organisation: Seen as the most militarily capable faction in the Hashd. Iraqi Shiite exiles opposed to Saddam Hussein set up the group in Tehran in the early 1980s as the Badr Corps under the supervision of the Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). The militia exalts Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei but intermittently cooperated with the US military.
Saraya Al Salam (Peace Brigade): Comprised of former members of the officially defunct Mahdi Army, a militia that was commanded by Iraqi cleric Moqtada Al Sadr and fought US and Iraqi government and other forces between 2004 and 2008. As part of a political overhaul aimed as casting Mr Al Sadr as a more nationalist and less sectarian figure, the cleric formed Saraya Al Salam in 2014. The group’s relations with Iran has been volatile.
Kataeb Hezbollah: The group, which is fighting on behalf of the Bashar Al Assad government in Syria, traces its origins to attacks on US forces in Iraq in 2004 and adopts a tough stance against Washington, calling the United States “the enemy of humanity”.
Asaeb Ahl Al Haq: An offshoot of the Mahdi Army active in Syria. Asaeb Ahl Al Haq’s leader Qais al Khazali was a student of Mr Al Moqtada’s late father Mohammed Sadeq Al Sadr, a prominent Shiite cleric who was killed during Saddam Hussein’s rule.
Harakat Hezbollah Al Nujaba: Formed in 2013 to fight alongside Mr Al Assad’s loyalists in Syria before joining the Hashd. The group is seen as among the most ideological and sectarian-driven Hashd militias in Syria and is the major recruiter of foreign fighters to Syria.
Saraya Al Khorasani: The ICRG formed Saraya Al Khorasani in the mid-1990s and the group is seen as the most ideologically attached to Iran among Tehran’s satellites in Iraq.
(Source: The Wilson Centre, the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation)
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