October 10, 2023,
All people are born and develop a personality.
Agree?
When it comes to assessing personalities, some are much easier to read and analyze than others.
When it comes to the currently 14th ranked player in the world, Petra Kvitova, of the Czech Republic, it is virtually impossible to tell what personality she has because she rarely displays it.
Rarely shows it at all on the tennis courts.
When she walks from the court, back into the tunnel, with the US Open cameras following her, you can’t tell if she won or lost. Her face is expressionless.
It is not like she doesn’t care. We know that she does. Otherwise, in a very competitive industry where fortunes change substantially, how could she consistently be a top ranked player?
Being ranked number 14 in the world is a big deal.
British star Emma Raducanu came through as a qualifier and stunned the world, winning the 2021 US Open and now she is ranked 186 in the world, recovering from sustained injuries and painting,
Romania’s Simona Halep, has been ranked world No. 1 in singles twice between 2017 and 2019.
Currently she is ranked number 1138.
Naomi Osaka has been ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and is a four-time Grand Slam singles champion, with two Australian Open and two US Open titles.
Currently she is ranked number 429.
We sense you get the point.
So, as challenging as it can be to stay at the top, this makes Petra’s incredible accomplishments over a long period of time, so amazing.
Time to appreciate.
Petra has won 31 career singles titles, including two major titles at Wimbledon in 2011 and in 2014.
She also won a bronze medal in singles while representing the Czech Republic at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Her career-high ranking of world No. 2 was achieved on 31 October 2011.
Drum roll, please.
Our luminary first gained notice by defeating then-world No. 1 Dinara Safina in the third round of the 2009 US Open.
This was followed by her first major semifinal appearance at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships.
Then, during her breakthrough season in 2011, Petra won her first major title at Wimbledon over Maria Sharapova in the final.
At the end of the season, she won the WTA Championships on her debut.
That should be something to scream and shout about, but somehow, we doubt that she did.
Petra also helped lead the Czech Republic to victory in the Fed Cup that same year, making it the Czech Republic’s first such title as an independent nation.
There’s more.
In 2012, Petra reached the semifinals of the Australian and French Opens, and was crowned the US Open Series champion.
That same year, she also won the Hopman Cup alongside Tomáš Berdych.
In 2014, she won her second major title at Wimbledon, defeating Eugenie Bouchard in the final.
Talk about a player who should have done so much better, Eugenie Bouchard’s story is a massive cautionary tale.
But this is Petra’s time.
Still more.
In 2015, Petra completed the feat of reaching at least the quarterfinals of all four majors after her quarterfinal debut at the US Open.
In 2016, she won the WTA Elite Trophy on her debut, thus becoming the first player ever to win both categories of year-end championships on debut.
In 2019, she reached her first major final in almost five years, at the Australian Open, finishing runner-up to Naomi Osaka.
What amazes us about Petra, compared to other top players, is her longevity and consistent achievements at the highest level.
And it hasn’t been easy for Petra.
On December 20, 2016, Petra was robbed at her apartment in Prostějov, Czech Republic, suffering multiple lacerations to the tendons and nerves on her left hand and fingers while trying to defend herself.
By March 2017, Petra had regained the use of her left hand, and could now use it for daily activities without any complications.
Her psychological recovery was also on track, and she had completed fitness training in the Canary Islands.
The following month, following good progress in her recovery, she provisionally put her name down for the French Open.
The knife-wielding attacker left with $190 worth of cash and is suspected to be a male in his mid-thirties.
She underwent surgery to repair the damage to her hand, and was expected to sit out the next six months in order to fully recover. Three days later, in her first press conference since her surgery, Petra revealed that she had regained movement in her left hand.
It took some time but her attacker was eventually brought to justice and was sentenced to 8 years in jail and then raised to 11 years.
We are so happy that Petra didn’t give in and fought to get her way back, not only on the court, which would be amazing, but continue to quietly win tournament after tournament.
Others in high places appreciate her as well.
Petra endorses Nike apparel and footwear. She currently uses the Wilson Pro Staff 97 racquet, a similar version to Roger Federer‘s. She is represented by IMG, following a signed agreement in August 2014. Her other sponsors include UniCredit Bank and Česká pošta, a Czech postal service operator.
Right To Play, a global organization which focuses on using sports and games to educate and empower children facing adversity, named Petra as its Global Athlete Ambassador in January 2015.
Three months later, it was announced that Petra had signed a multi-year contract with Beverly Hills-based watchmaker, Ritmo Mundo.
Petra has a lot to be happy about. We are happy for her.
She certainly has made us smile a lot. Fans around the world, as well.
We just wish that she would smile about it more.
Apparently she finds her happiness and satisfaction by playing things close to the vest.
On the court, with Petra, win or lose, you rarely know what she is thinking, how she is feeling or what emotions are swirling.
We fans just have to get used to that. When it comes to Petra Kvitova?
She just lets her racquet do the talking.
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