Defending Champion Kvitova Withdraws From 2023 Eastbourne International

| by Alfredo Bassanelli

Defending champion Petra Kvitova won't be playing the 2023 Eastbourne International this week after coming out on top last week in Berlin.

Kvitova put together an impressive performance at last year's Eastbourne International ending up as the champion but she won't be defending her trophy this year. The veteran had some pretty big highlights this year with the surprising triumph in Miami beating none other than Elena Rybakina in the final of the WTA 1000 event.

She then had some tough weeks on the tour dealing with injuries and generally not playing that well on clay. A return on the grass saw her play much better and she put together a really strong showing last week at the Berlin Open. Facing Vekic in the final, Kvitova outplayed the Croatian to lift another trophy this year.

Recovering at her age is not an easy thing to do and returning to the courts so quickly after a deep run in Berlin wasn't really possible. It's not smart either with Wimbledon only a week away which is why she announced her withdrawal from the event. She described her emotion about the withdrawal admitting that she loves to play at the event.

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I'm very sad that I have to withdraw from the tournament in Eastbourne and not have the chance to defend my title. It's one of my favorite stops on tour and I wish everyone a great week.

Kvitova withdraws from Eastbourne

Besides the good results this year, Kvitova also dealt with multiple physical issues that are simply more common as she ages. Due to all of that, she isn't really going into Wimbledon with any huge expectations though some think she could go far with the level she displayed recently.

Time will tell whether Kvitova can go deep but you shouldn't really question her grass level or championship pedigree.

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