Petra Kvitova

Petra Kvitova is one of the most successful Czech professional tennis players, and a two-time Wimbledon champion.

Petra Kvitova was born on March 8, 1990, in Bilovec, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic), to Jiri Kvita and Pavla Kvitova. She also has two elder brothers named Jiri Jr and Libor. The Czech trained in Fulnek until the age of 16, and was encouraged by her instructor to play tennis professionally.

Kvitova did not have a very extensive junior career. She only made one junior Grand Slam appearance at Wimbledon in 2007, where she reached the last 16. Her highest ranking as a junior player was No. 27 on 9 July 2007. The Czech made solid progress on the WTA Tour in 2008 and 2009.

Her first WTA title came at the Hobart International in January 2009, with a win against Iveta Benesova in the final. She also made fourth-round appearances at the US Open and at Wimbledon. Her first Grand Slam semifinal came at Wimbledon in 2010.

That run included triumphs against future Grand Slam champions Victoria Azarenka and Caroline Wozniacki. She lost to the eventual champion Serena Williams. 2011 was an extraordinary year for Kvitova. She won a maiden WTA 1000 title on the clay courts of Madrid in April, beating Azarenka in the final.

But she became a worldwide star two months later at Wimbledon. Kvitova stormed to the quarterfinals at SW19 without dropping a set against Alexa Glatch, Alexa Keothavong, Roberta Vinci, and Yanina Wickmayer. A second consecutive Wimbledon semifinal was secured with a three-set win against Tsvetana Pironkova.

The Czech progressed to a maiden Grand Slam final by prevailing against Azarenka. Maria Sharapova stood between her and the title, but there was no stopping Kvitova. She claimed the Wimbledon title by overpowering Sharapova in a 6-3 6-4 victory. The success in 2011 did not end there for Kvitova, as she also prevailed in the WTA Finals.

After not dropping a set in the group stage, three-set wins against Samantha Stosur and Azarenka saw her lift the trophy. She also won the Billie Jean King Cup in 2011, a feat she would achieve another five times.

Kvitova made semifinal appearances at the 2012 Australian Open and 2012 Roland Garros. She also won two more WTA 1000 titles at the Canadian Open in 2012 and at the Pan Pacific Open in 2013. However, the second big moment of her career came at Wimbledon again the following year.

Her level at SW19 in 2014 was extraordinary. The only set she dropped throughout the tournament was in a thrilling three-set battle in the third round against the five-time champion, Venus Williams, at the event. Kvitova attained her second Wimbledon title with a 6-3, 6-0 thrashing of Eugenie Bouchard.

Kvitova suffered a horrifying event in her personal life on December, 20, 2016. She suffered serious damage to her left hand and fingers while trying to defend herself against a burglar at her home. Thankfully, the perpetrator was jailed for 11 years in 2020.

The level Kvitova then found after having to recover from that terrible incident was hugely impressive. After winning two more WTA 1000 titles in 2018, Kvitova made the final of the 2019 Australian Open, where she contested one of the best women’s finals in Melbourne against Naomi Osaka.

She narrowly lost out to the Japanese star 6-7, 7-5, 4-6, after much electrifying tennis on the Rod Laver Arena. Kvitova achieved another French Open semifinal in 2020 and claimed the first WTA 1000 title since 2018 at the 2023 Miami Open. At the end of the 2023 season, Kvitova announced that she was pregnant with her first child.