More than five years ago, Petra Kvitova was attacked by a burglar in her home and ended with a cut on her arm which required a lengthy surgery.
Petra Kvitova is a left-handed player and so it's her dominant hand on the tennis court. Because of injured tendons on all of her fingers and two nerves, she had to go through an almost 4-hour surgery and missed a big part of the 2017 season. Back then, the Czech player stated:
"Thank you for all your heartwarming messages. 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. I am shaken, but fortunate to be alive. 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. Thank you all again for your love and support and now I would appreciate some privacy while I focus on my recovery."
Two-time Wimbledon champion recovered from the injury quickly and got back to playing tennis. Despite a horrific experience and injury, Kvitova started winning again and from 2017 until today, she lifted 10 more WTA titles, reached 5 WTA 1000 finals, a Grand Slam final and ended a year in Top 10 of the WTA Rankings three times.