Wimbledon, Czech, knife attack: Everything you always wanted to know about Petra Kvitova (but never had time to find out) – updated with news of Wimbledon 2025 exit
A two-time Wimbledon champion who fought back from a horrific knife attack to reach the top of the game again – here are the answers to some questions you might have about Petra Kvitova
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Who is Petra Kvitova?
Petra Kvitova is a left-handed tennis player from Czech Republic, who has won the women’s singles at Wimbledon twice (2011, 2014) and 31 titles on the WTA Tour. She also made the news headline for being attacked by an intruder with a knife at her own home at the end of 2017.
Is Petra Kvitova retiring?
Yes, prior to the 2025 Wimbledon Championships, Kvitova announced that she would be retiring at the end of the season. Playing in her last Wimbledon, the two-time champion was defeated in the first round by 10th seed Emma Navarro on straight sets.
Is Petra Kvitova back on Tour after becoming a mother?
Yes. After giving birth to her first child and after 17 months off the Tour, Petra Kvitova returned in Austin, Texas, in March 2025, losing in the first round to Jodie Burrage, in three sets.
How has Petra Kvitova performed since returning to the Tour as a mother?
Petra Kvitova lost her first four singles matches on her return to the Tour, though three of them were close battles. After losing to Jodie Burrage in Austin, she was beaten in three sets by Varvara Gracheva in Indian Wells and then Sofia Kenin in Miami. Her latest outing was a 6-4, 6-0 defeat by Katie Volynets in the first round in Madrid in April. However, she picked up her first win as a mother when she beat Irina-Camelia Begu in the first round of the Italian Open in Rome. Kvitova then withrew before her second-round match with Ons Jabeur due to a shoulder issue.
On grass, she lost her opening round matches in London and at Wimbledon.
when did Kvitova become A MUM?
Kvitova gave birth to her baby boy Petr on July 7, 2024. She announced the news on social media – fittingly, during Wimbledon.
What is Petra Kvitova’s AGE?
Kvitova was born on March 8, 1990, in Bilovec, then part of Czechoslovakia. That makes her 35 years as of July 2025.
How tall is Petra Kvitova?
Petra Kvitova is 6ft tall (1.83m).
Who are Petra Kvitova’s family?
Kvitova’s parents are Jiri and Pavla. She has two brothers, both older than her, Jiri and Libor. Kvitova’s current coach is Jiri Vanek.
Is Kvitova a good sport?
The Czech is well known and liked for her fair play. She has won the WTA Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award (voted for by fellow players on the tour) eight times, tying with Kim Clijsters for the most number of wins in this category.
Is Kvitova married?
Kvitova and her partner, Jiri Vanek, who is also her coach, got married in July 2023. Kvitova began dating Vanek in 2021 and they got engaged in July of 2022. Vanek, who is also Czech, played on the ATP Tour and reached a career-high ranking of No 74 in the world in 2000. They have a son together, Petr, born in July 2024.
Who are her tennis heroes?
As a child, Kvitova admired Martina Navratilova – another great left-handed player who was also born in Czechoslovakia.
When did Kvitova begin her tennis career?
The Czech played her first ITF events in 2006, and won two singles titles. She played in her first WTA main draw in 2007, losing in the Stockholm first round to Marta Domachowska of Poland.
How many Grand Slams has Kvitova won?
Kvitova is a two-time champion at Wimbledon. She first won the title in 2011 by beating Maria Sharapova 6-3, 6-4, and repeated the feat in 2014 when she beat Eugenie Bouchard 6-3, 6-0.
She also reached the final of the Australian Open in 2019, losing to Naomi Osaka, and has made the semi-finals at Roland-Garros twice in her career – 2012 and 2020.
Did Kvitova suffer a knife attack in 2016?
Yes. In December 2016, Petra Kvitova suffered an horrific attack when an intruder entered her home with a knife. She suffered severe injuries to her left hand and underwent remedial surgery, which saved her career. She returned to action in May 2017, incredibly, winning a title in her first tournament back. The man who stabbed her has since been jailed for 11 years.
What is Kvitova’s work ethic?
During the 2023 Miami Open, Kvitova described herself as a player missing consistency and more able to give the best of her in competition rather than in matches.
“I never been quite consistent player, I have to say, I think”, she said. “I had more like up-and-downs all the time. Maybe with the age I’m more experienced.”
“I don’t like practices, right? So that’s probably the biggest challenge for my coach, that he can’t really train what he wants. On the other hand, I love to play matches, so maybe he’s happy with this. But I think it’s tough for coaches that they can’t really put the work with me on the court. That’s a little difficult to find out when I have like a mood to go for it or need to a little bit relax.
“Yeah, if I’m injured, it’s different story, for sure, but I think that over seven years which we are practicing together, he knows me pretty well when I need some time off and when I have to push. So I think that even I have some days off, so I can still play some good tennis the day after. So I think he get used to already everything.”
What is Kvitova’s playing style?
Unsurprisingly given her height, Kvitova is a power player with a big serve and forehand. As a lefty, her out-wide serve to the ad side is especially effective. She plays first-strike tennis and likes to keep points short — either with free points thanks to her serve or an early forehand winner.
Kvitova’s game works best on grass and fast hard courts. Clay is her least favorite surface.
What did Kvitova do at the 2023 Miami Open?
Kvitova won the 2023 Miami Open for her first-ever title at the tournament and her 30th WTA title overall. She had never previously reached the Miami final, but defeated Indian Wells champion Elena Rybakina and prevented the Kazakh from capturing the Sunshine Double.
How many titles has Petra Kvitova won?
The Czech left-hander has won 31 WTA singles titles as of July 2025. Kvitova won the 500-level Berlin Open in June 2023 for her 31st and most recent WTA singles title.
What is her career-high ranking?
Her career-best ranking is world No 2, which she achieved for the first time on October 31, 2011. You can find her current ranking and her ranking history on her WTA Tour profile page.
How much prize money has she won?
The Czech has accumulated total prize money of $37.45 million over the course of her career, as of June 30, 2025. You can find her updated prize money stats on her WTA Tour profile page.
Is Kvitova on social media?
The Czech is on X/ Twitter and has more than 657,000 followers. She is also on Facebook, with 768,000 likes there, and on Instagram, with 673,000 followers.
