Kvitova to leave hospital after knife attack

Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova will be released from hospital on Friday after a knife attack left her needing surgery on her left hand.

Kvitova will miss at least six months of tennis afterTuesday’s attack by an intruder at her home in Prostejov.

The Czech, 26, faces 14 days of bed rest and a slow rehabilitation process after she had an operation to repair tendons and nerves in her playing hand.

The “best-case scenario” sees her on the practice court after six months.

• Kvitova out for six months after attack

Kvitova said on Tuesday she was “shaken” and “fortunate to be alive”.

She will speak publicly for the first time on Friday following her release from hospital.

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Kvitova out for at least six months after attack

Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova will be out of tennis for at least six months as she recovers from a knife attack – but should be able to resume her career.

The Czech, 26, underwent surgery to tendons and nerves on her playing hand following the attack by an intruder at her home in Prostejov on Tuesday.

Kvitova faces a slow rehabilitation process after 14 days of bed rest.

The “best-case scenario” sees her on the practice court after six months.

Surgeon Radek Kebrle said that the operation on Kvitova’s left hand went “very well, with no complications,” but it will be three months until the world number 11 can even grip a racquet.

“It is too soon to specify when precisely she can return to competition, but Petra is ready to do everything she can to get back competing at the highest level,” said a statement from her management.

“Petra is happy with how the operation went and is in good spirits.”

Kvitova had said she was “shaken” and “fortunate to be alive” following the incident on Tuesday.

She suffered lacerations to her left hand when struggling with an intruder who posed as a utilities man to gain access to her apartment.

Analysis

Piers Newbery, BBC Sport tennis writer:

Kvitova faces a long road back to competitive action but given the nature of the attack she suffered, it will be a victory for the Czech simply to step back onto the court to resume her professional career.

When that will be is unclear as the rehabilitation process cannot get under way until six to eight weeks after Tuesday’s surgery, and the early prognosis suggests she will not return to the practice court for six months.

However, her initial statements have been bullish and she will be especially motivated to get back after the impressive form she showed in the second half of 2016.

Assuming she is out for at least six months, Kvitova will return with a ‘special ranking’ that will allow her to enter up to eight tournaments with the ranking of 11 that she held when she last played.

She will not lack for support as one of the most popular players in the sport, both among spectators and her fellow competitors.

The example of Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro might provide some inspiration – a similarly popular player who returned triumphantly this year after potentially career-ending wrist problems.

Kvitova career stats

• Turned professional in 2006, aged 16
• First Wimbledon appearance as a junior in 2007, reaching the last 16
• First career title in 2009 – the Hobart International, Australia
• Now has 19 titles with career prize money totalling more than £18.4m
• Reached a career-high of world number two in October 2011, behind Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki
• Won a bronze medal at the Rio Olympics, losing her semi-final to eventual gold medallist Monica Puig

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Record Australian Open prize money targets early rounds

The Australian Open has increased prize money to record levels for 2017, with the focus on those players beaten in the early rounds of the tournament.

The total prize fund is up 14% on 2016 at 50m Australian dollars (£29.4m), with the singles champions to each receive A$3.7m (£2.2m).

First-round losers will earn A$50,000 (£29,360), up 39%, while prize money across qualifying is up 39%.

The increase is part of a package of measures to try to tackle corruption.

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The first Grand Slam tournament of 2017 gets under way in Melbourne on 16 January, with Novak Djokovic and Angelique Kerber defending the singles titles.

It was during last year’s Australian Open that a BBC and BuzzFeed News investigation uncovered suspected illegal betting, with 16 players reportedly flagged over suspicious matches.

The lower levels of tennis are considered more vulnerable to betting-related corruption as players struggle to make a living through prize money.

Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said: “It was especially important for us to increase the compensation for players in the early rounds and qualifying and this year we have made some real gains.

“Our aim is to shift the break-even point for professional players, to ensure that tennis is a viable career option for the best male and female athletes in the world.”

The 2017 tournament will see the return to Grand Slam action of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams after injury-lay offs.

However, world number 11 Petra Kvitova will be absent after she was the victim of a knife attack on Tuesday, two-time champion Victoria Azarenka gave birth to a son in December, while Juan Martin del Potro is a major doubt after several years of injury problems.

“There’s a fortnight to the Australia Open and I’m unlikely to make that objective,” said the Argentine.

“We’re looking at what the priority is. If tennis waited for me for two years, Australia can wait for me for one more.”

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Kvitova out for three months after knife attack

Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova will not play tennis for at least three months after surgery following a knife attack at her home.

Kvitova, 26, said she was “fortunate to be alive” following a “burglary” incident on Tuesday when she struggled with an intruder.

Surgeons spent almost four hours repairing tendons and nerves on her left hand – her playing hand.

Her spokesman said that considering the damage, “the surgery went well”.

“The injury is serious, but the surgeon says Petra is young and healthy and there is no reason why she can’t resume tennis,” publicist Karel Tejkal told AFP.

According to her manager Katie Spellman, Kvitova will wear a cast for six to eight weeks and cannot bear weight on the injured hand for at least three months.

That rules her out of the Australian Open next month, the first Grand Slam tournament of the 2017 tennis season.

It is understood she allowed someone posing as a utilities man access to her apartment in Prostejov, Czech Republic, and while defending herself in a struggle, suffered the injuries to her hand. The intruder is believed to have then run away and is being sought by police.

Earlier on Tuesday, Kvitova said she was “shaken”, adding the injury was “severe” but that she would “fight this”.

Tejkal added: “It was a random crime, nobody was going to attack or rob her as Petra Kvitova.”

Kvitova is ranked 11 in the world and has won a career total of 19 titles, including Grand Slam victories at Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014.

Kvitova statement

“Thank you for all your heart-warming 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.”

Former champion was on the way back

Kvitova had announced earlier on Tuesday that a foot injury forced her to withdraw from January’s Hopman Cup in Perth, Australia.

She had only returned from pre-season training in Lanzarote last week, despite her right foot requiring a protective boot for much of the time.

It meant her hopes of playing in the first Grand Slam of the season were already doubtful, with the Australian Open getting under way on 16 January.

Kvitova had finished the 2016 season strongly, picking up titles in Wuhan and Zuhai, as well as winning the Women’s Tennis Association’s annual sportsmanship award, for the fourth year in succession.

Career stats

• Turned professional in 2006, aged 16
• First Wimbledon appearance as a junior in 2007, reaching the last 16
• First career title in 2009 – the Hobart International, Australia
• Now has 19 titles with career prize money totalling more than £18.4m
• Reached a career-high of world number two in October 2011, behind Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki
• Won a bronze medal at the Rio Olympics, losing her semi-final to eventual gold medallist Monica Puig

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