Petra Kvitova is unsure if she will return to tennis. After difficulties during her pregnancy, she is understandably prioritizing her health and family.
Kvitova announced she was pregnant in a New Year's post on social media. That has led to her being away from the WTA Tour on maternity leave throughout 2024.
The Czech is a two-time Wimbledon champion, and her blistering brand of tennis has certainly been missed throughout the season. At her best, her level was one of the most feared on the WTA Tour.
Eugenie Bouchard, who Kvitova beat to win her second Wimbledon title in 2014, reflected on what it was like facing the 34-year-old. The Canadian said she "got her butt kicked" in that match and could not cope.
Although Kvitova is missed on the WTA Tour, the news of her pregnancy was also very exciting. She gave birth to a son named Petr on July 7th, announcing the news in an Instagram post.
Returning from maternity leave is becoming increasingly common in the women's game. Serena Williams, Angelique Kerber, and Tatjana Maria are among the players who have successfully done it in the last few years.
Belinda Bencic plans to follow Williams, Kerber, and Maria's path. The Olympic gold medalist gave birth to her child earlier this year, but she is already training to return to the sport.
However, making a comeback would not be as easy for Kvitova. She told Czech portal LP-life.cz that she had complications in her pregnancy that led to her needing an emergency c-section.
"I'm still a few kilos up but it's slowly coming back down so hopefully it'll be the way it should be soon. I thought the birth would be better but it was ordeal and I ended up having an emergency c-section so it wasn't quite nice."
Thankfully, Kvitova is okay, and she gave birth to a healthy son. That matters more than anything else, including whether the 34-year-old returns to tennis.
Of course, Kvitova's high profile means there will be interest in whether she resumes her tennis career. The Czech is keeping her options for now and admits going through her c-section has influenced how she feels.
"I have it open now, also because of how I ended up with the c-section. I didn't say so either, so I'm keeping it open as to how it will turn out for me, both mentally and physically."
Although her pregnancy was more stressful than she initially expected, Kvitova was heartened by the many well-wishes she received from other sports stars. The Czech avoided listing too many people incase she forgot anyone.
"There were too many of them. Certainly Lucie Safarova, Barbora Strycova, Belinda Bencic, many tennis players and many others. I would hate to forget someone. But I have to say, there were a lot of congratulations."
Thousands of tennis fans would undoubtedly love to see Kvitova return, but she will do what is right for herself, as she should.