LONDON // Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova wants her return to the All England Club to prove to be the perfect cure as she battles to recover from illness.
Kvitova’s Wimbledon preparations were thrown into disarray when the world No 2 was forced to withdraw from the warm-up event at Eastbourne last week due to a virus.
The two-time Wimbledon winner was confined to her bed for several days, and she still has not completely shaken off the bug.
Deprived of valuable match and practice time on grass courts, Kvitova, who has not played since her French Open fourth-round exit on June 1, knows she could be vulnerable to a shock defeat in the early stages at Wimbledon.
But the Czech, 25, said a return to the scene of the greatest moments of her career will provide a much-needed cure to her ailment.
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“For sure, it’s really nice to be back. I really missed it all year. I’m glad that I can play here again,” Kvitova said.
“Unfortunately, I got sick in Eastbourne.
“Of course, the preparation, because I was sick, wasn’t perfect. I missed a few days of practice, but that’s how it is.”
Kvitova’s confidence that she can make a quick transition to grass is understandable given her supremacy on the lawns of south-west London.
During the past five years, the powerful left-hander has won the title twice, in 2011 and 2014, while also reaching the 2010 semi-finals and twice making the last eight.
In contrast, Kvitova has never gone beyond the semi-finals at any of the other three grand slams.
So it is little surprise that she has embraced being back at Wimbledon 12 months after her ruthless victory over Eugenie Bouchard in the final.
“It’s going to be special,” Kvitova said when asked how she will feel when she walks out on Centre Court for her first-round tie against Kiki Bertens on Tuesday.
Kvitova has endured a difficult period since parading the Venus Rosewater Dish around Centre Court last year.
She has suffered three successive grand slam exits before the quarter-finals and decided to take a two-month break after losing her passion for the sport.
“I just felt exhausted and tired from everything,” she said.
“It was a really tough decision for me to miss the two big tournaments during March.
“But I feel much better than before. I’m really happy to be back on the court and doing what I love.
“That’s important. I recharged some batteries, for sure.”
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