Petra Kvitová


Petra Kvitová is a Czech professional tennis player. Known for her powerful left-handed groundstrokes and variety, Kvitová turned professional in 2006 and has won 27 career singles titles, two of which are Grand Slam titles, the Wimbledon Championships in 2011 and in 2014. She also won a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Her career-high ranking of world No. 2 was reached on 31 October 2011 and as of 16 March 2020, she is ranked world No. 12 by the Women's Tennis Association. As such, Kvitová is currently the highest-ranked left-handed player in the world and the second highest-ranked Czech, behind Karolína Plíšková.
Kvitová first gained notice upon defeating then-world No. 1 Dinara Safina in the third round of the 2009 US Open. This was followed by her first Grand Slam semifinal appearance at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships where she came up short to eventual champion Serena Williams. Then, during her breakthrough season in 2011, Kvitová won her first Grand Slam title at the Wimbledon Championships, defeating Maria Sharapova in the final, thus becoming the first player of either gender born in the 1990s to win a Grand Slam tournament title. She remained the only player of either gender born in the 1990s to have won a Grand Slam singles title until the 2016 French Open where Garbiñe Muguruza triumphed. At the end of the season, she won the WTA Tour Championships, thus becoming the third player to win the tournament on debut, the others being Williams and Sharapova. She also helped lead the Czech Republic to victory in the Fed Cup final that same year, making it the Czech Republic's first Fed Cup title as an independent nation.
In 2012, Kvitová made the semifinals of the Australian Open and French Open, and was crowned US Open Series champion. That same year, she also won the Hopman Cup alongside Tomáš Berdych. In 2014, she won her second and most recent Grand Slam title at the Wimbledon Championships, defeating Eugenie Bouchard in the final. In 2015, Kvitová achieved the feat of making the quarterfinals at all four Grand Slams during her career after advancing to her first quarterfinal at the US Open, where she lost to eventual champion Flavia Pennetta. In 2016, she won the WTA Elite Trophy in her first appearance at the tournament, thus becoming the first player ever to win both categories of year-end championships on debut. In 2019, she reached her first Grand Slam final in almost five years, at the Australian Open where she finished runner-up to Naomi Osaka.

Early life

Petra Kvitová was born to Jiří Kvita, a vice mayor and former school teacher, and Pavla Kvitová in Bílovec, Moravian-Silesian Region, Czechoslovakia. She has two elder brothers, Jiří, an engineer, and Libor, a school teacher. Her father Jiří introduced her to tennis. During her childhood, she admired Czech American player Martina Navratilova. Kvitová trained in her Moravian hometown, Fulnek, until the age of 16, and was then encouraged by an instructor to pursue a professional career in tennis. She was coached by David Kotyza, also a Czech, from November 2008 till January 2016.

Career

2006–2010: Career beginnings, first title and ascendancy

As a junior, Kvitová achieved a career high ranking of world No. 27 on 9 July 2007. She also amassed a 35–7 and 20–9 record in the singles and doubles disciplines respectively. Kvitová's lone Grand Slam tournament appearance as a junior came at the 2007 Wimbledon Championships. In singles, eighth-seeded Kvitová advanced to the round of 16 after beating Jocelyn Rae and Malena Gordo before losing to eventual semifinalist Katarzyna Piter in straight sets. In doubles, she played alongside fellow Czech Kateřina Vaňková but they fell at the first hurdle to Mariana Duque Mariño and Michelle Larcher de Brito.
Kvitová first attempted to qualify for her first WTA tournament at the 2007 Prague Open, but she lost in the second round of qualifying to Ekaterina Ivanova. She then made her debut in the main draw of a WTA tournament at the 2007 Nordic Light Open, where she lost in the first round to Marta Domachowska in three sets. Throughout the years of 2006 and 2007, Kvitová captured six ITF singles titles, four of which came in her home nation.
She also made her Fed Cup debut in 2007, playing alongside Barbora Strýcová in doubles, where they lost to the Spanish team of Nuria Llagostera Vives and Virginia Ruano Pascual.
Kvitová began 2008 by upsetting Anabel Medina Garrigues in her opening match in Paris for her first ever WTA main draw victory before falling to fourth seed Elena Dementieva. Then, she racked in her first ever top 10 win by beating world No. 8 and defending champion Venus Williams in the first round in Memphis. In April, she played her first ever Fed Cup singles match where she faced Israeli Shahar Pe'er, which she won in three sets. She also won her seventh and most recent ITF singles title that same month. Kvitová then made her Grand Slam tournament debut appearance at the French Open, and went all the way to the round of 16 where she lost to Kaia Kanepi in three sets, having defeated Akiko Morigami, Samantha Stosur and 12th seed Ágnes Szávay en route. In October, she reached the quarterfinals in Zurich as a qualifier where she lost to second seed Ana Ivanovic, but the result nevertheless placed her in the top 50 rankings for the first time ever. She finished 2008 ranked world No. 44.
Kvitová started 2009 impressively by reaching her first ever final, at the Hobart International, having defeated Sally Peers, Alona Bondarenko, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Virginie Razzano en route. There, she defeated compatriot Iveta Benešová to lift her maiden career title. After suffering consecutive winless appearances at the Australian Open, the Open GDF Suez and the Dubai Tennis Championships, she reached the third round in Indian Wells, losing to eventual champion Vera Zvonareva. She was then forced to withdraw from the French Open due to an ankle injury, and bowed out in the first round of Wimbledon. At the US Open, she defeated then-world No. 1 Dinara Safina in the third round in three sets for her first win over a reigning world No. 1. Kvitová was ranked 71 places lower than Safina at the time. However, she came up short to eventual semifinalist Yanina Wickmayer in the round of 16 in three sets. At the Linz Open, Kvitová made her second final of the year, where she lost to Wickmayer once again. She concluded 2009 as world No. 62.
In 2010, Kvitová reached the semifinals of the Memphis Open, losing to eventual champion Maria Sharapova. She then sailed to the semifinals of Wimbledon, defeating Sorana Cîrstea, Zheng Jie, Victoria Azarenka, Caroline Wozniacki, and Kaia Kanepi en route, before falling to defending and eventual champion Serena Williams in straight sets. Nevertheless, she was guaranteed to crack the top 30 rankings for the first time. However, after Wimbledon, she suffered five consecutive first round defeats before breaking the losing streak at the US Open. There, she defeated Lucie Hradecká and Elena Baltacha, before losing to defending and eventual champion Kim Clijsters in the third round, having led 3–0 in the first set before going on lost the next twelve games in a row. Kvitová recorded her first top 40 finish in 2010, at world No. 34, and was also named WTA Newcomer of the Year.

2011: First Grand Slam and WTA Tour Championships titles

Kvitová started 2011 by winning her second career title at the Brisbane International, defeating the likes of third seed Nadia Petrova and fifth seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova en route to the final, where she beat Andrea Petkovic for the title. With the win, she achieved the ranking of world No. 28. Kvitová was the 25th seed at the Australian Open, and made her first quarterfinal here, having defeated Sally Peers, Anna Chakvetadze, fifth seed Samantha Stosur and 22nd seed Flavia Pennetta en route, where she lost to second seed Vera Zvonareva in straight sets. Her strong run there ensured her a top 20 debut in the rankings, at world No. 18. Kvitová then beat Slovaks Dominika Cibulková and Daniela Hantuchová in the Fed Cup opening round to put the Czech team in the semifinals.
At the Open GDF Suez, Kvitová won her second title of the year by defeating newly crowned world No. 1 and newly crowned Australian Open champion Kim Clijsters in the final in straight sets. Once again, Kvitová's ranking rose to a new high of world No. 14. After that, she suffered an early loss to Ayumi Morita in Dubai. She then lost her next two opening matches to Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová in Indian Wells, and to Kristina Barrois at an ITF tournament in Nassau. At the Miami Open, Kvitová defeated Varvara Lepchenko in the second round but then lost her next match to Pavlyuchenkova. In the Fed Cup semifinals against Belgium, she led the Czech team into the final, with wins over Yanina Wickmayer and Kirsten Flipkens.
Kvitová kicked off her clay court season in Madrid, where she won her third title of the year and her first Premier Mandatory-level title. She beat Alexandra Dulgheru, Chanelle Scheepers and second seed Zvonareva to reach the last eight. She then overcame Cibulková and Li Na to reach the final where she defeated Victoria Azarenka to claim the title. She made her top 10 debut after the tournament at world No. 10. The following week, because Jelena Janković failed to defend her points in Rome, Kvitová moved one place up to No. 9. She played another ITF tournament at her home country in Prague that week, losing in the final to Magdaléna Rybáriková. Kvitová was the ninth seed at the French Open. She defeated Gréta Arn, Zheng Jie, and Vania King in straight sets, before losing to eventual champion Li Na in the fourth round, despite having led 3–0 in the deciding set.
Kvitová played a warm-up tournament for Wimbledon at Eastbourne and reached the final where she lost to Marion Bartoli in three sets. Kvitová then won her first Grand Slam title at the Wimbledon Championships. Seeded eighth, she defeated Alexa Glatch, Anne Keothavong, Roberta Vinci and Wickmayer en route to the quarterfinals. She then saw off Tsvetana Pironkova and fourth seed Azarenka to reach her first Grand Slam tournament final, where she beat fifth seed Maria Sharapova in straight sets. Thus, she became the first left-handed female player to win the singles title since Martina Navratilova in 1990, the first player of either gender born in the 1990s to win a Grand Slam tournament title and the first Czech player to win a Grand Slam singles title since Jana Novotná won Wimbledon in 1998.
Following Wimbledon, she kicked off her US Open series campaign at the Canadian Open where lost to Petkovic in the third round. The following week at the Cincinnati Open, she lost to Petkovic in the same round once more. She was then upset by Dulgheru in the opening round of the US Open, thus becoming the first Grand Slam tournament champion to lose in the first round of the following Grand Slam without winning a set.
Kvitová's form then improved in Tokyo, where she reached the semifinals, losing to Zvonareva. She cracked the top 5 rankings, at world No. 5, after Tokyo and also qualified for the WTA Tour Championships for the first time in her career. However, the following week, she lost in the first round of the China Open to Sofia Arvidsson in three sets. Then, at the Linz Open, she defeated Rebecca Marino, Patricia Mayr-Achleitner, Hantuchová and Janković on the way to the final, where she beat Cibulková to collect her fifth title of the season.
At the WTA Tour Championships in Istanbul, third-seeded Kvitová emerged champion, thus becoming the third player to win the title on debut. During the round-robin stage, she defeated Zvonareva, Wozniacki, and Agnieszka Radwańska in straight sets, putting her through to the semifinals. Her next opponent was Stosur, whom she beat to reach the final, a match against Azarenka for the world No. 2 ranking, which Kvitová won in three sets. She ended the year only 115 points second to Wozniacki for the No. 1 spot. She concluded 2011 by helping the Czech Republic win its maiden Fed Cup title as an independent nation, winning her singles rubbers against Maria Kirilenko and Svetlana Kuznetsova. In the end, the Czechs emerged victorious against Russia 3–2. She was also named WTA Player of the Year, WTA Most Improved Player of the Year and ITF Women's World Champion in 2011. In addition, she also won the Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award.

2012: Continued success and Hopman Cup-Fed Cup double

At the beginning of 2012, Kvitová was widely expected to reach the world No. 1 ranking. She stated that attaining the position "would be nice", but that her priority was to improve her game. Kvitová opted not to defend her title in Brisbane, choosing instead to participate in the Hopman Cup with Tomáš Berdych where they went on to win the title, defeating France in the final. She also won all of her singles matches at the event, defeating Tsvetana Pironkova, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Caroline Wozniacki, and Marion Bartoli.
At the Sydney International, Kvitová lost in the last four to Li Na. Had she won the tournament, she would have been the new world No. 1, but pressure blocked her. Nevertheless, her run to the semifinals there saw her extend the longest winning streak of her career to date, 14 wins, that dates back to her title run in Linz last October. Then, at the Australian Open, where second-seeded Kvitová was the favourite for the title, she defeated Vera Dushevina, Carla Suárez Navarro, Maria Kirilenko and Ana Ivanovic to reach her second consecutive quarterfinal of the tournament. There, she saw off Sara Errani to advance to the semifinals, where she lost in three sets to Maria Sharapova, despite having been up a break in the third set.
On Fed Cup duty, Kvitová extended her long streak of wins in singles matches indoors, which started with her title run at the Open GDF Suez last year, to 29 matches, with her four victories against Germany and Italy, in the opening round and semifinal ties, respectively. She scored those wins over the likes of Germans Julia Görges and Sabine Lisicki, and Italians Francesca Schiavone and Errani.
In Indian Wells, Kvitová lost in the third round to Christina McHale in three sets. In Miami, she exited in the second round after falling to Venus Williams in three sets. The following month in Stuttgart, she defeated Schiavone and Angelique Kerber to reach the semifinals, where she lost to Sharapova in straight sets, thus snapping a long run of 31 consecutive wins indoors. At the Madrid Open, she was the defending champion, but lost in the second round to compatriot Lucie Hradecká. The following week in Rome, she beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Sorana Cîrstea to record her first quarterfinal appearance here, where she lost to Kerber. Kvitová was seeded fourth at the French Open. She advanced to the semifinals for the first time in her career, after defeating Ashleigh Barty, Urszula Radwańska, Nina Bratchikova, Varvara Lepchenko, and Yaroslava Shvedova. There, she lost to Sharapova once more, for the third time this year.
Kvitová started her grass court season in Eastbourne where she fell to Ekaterina Makarova in the second round. As the fourth seed at Wimbledon, Kvitová defeated Akgul Amanmuradova, Elena Baltacha and Lepchenko to reach the round of 16. She then beat Schiavone to reach the quarterfinals but the first-time defending champion's journey came to an end after she was overwhelmed in straight sets by four-time and eventual champion Serena Williams. After Wimbledon, Kvitová dropped out of the top 5 rankings. Kvitová then competed at the Summer Olympics, making her maiden appearance in the singles discipline. As the sixth seed, she defeated Kateryna Bondarenko and Peng Shuai in the first two rounds, both in straight sets. She then overcame Flavia Pennetta to reach the quarterfinals. There, she was upset by Kirilenko in straight sets.
Kvitová kickstarted her US Open series campaign by winning the Canadian Open, the eighth title of her career. She defeated Ksenia Pervak in her opener and then moved past Bartoli to reach the quarterfinals where she beat Tamira Paszek. She then beat Wozniacki in three sets to reach the final where she overcame Li in three sets to win the title, thus ending a 10-month title drought. At the Cincinnati Open, she reached the semifinals, falling to Kerber once again. She then won her second title of the year and the ninth of her career in New Haven, defeating Nicole Gibbs, Lucie Šafářová, Errani and Kirilenko along the way. She also secured the US Open Series crown after her win over Šafářová in New Haven. At the US Open, she reached the fourth round for the first time since 2009. Along the way, she defeated Polona Hercog and Frenchwomen Alizé Cornet and Pauline Parmentier. She then lost to Bartoli in three sets.
During the Asian swing, Kvitová did not enjoy much success as she suffered early losses in Tokyo and Beijing. Kvitová was named the sixth qualifier for the WTA Tour Championships following the China Open. As the defending champion, she dropped her first round-robin match to Agnieszka Radwańska in straight sets and was then forced to withdraw with a virus. Kvitová ended 2012 as world No. 8. She then helped the Czech team to defend its Fed Cup title, going 1–1 in singles matches against Serbia in the final before the Czech Republic won 3–1 in the tie through Šafářová.

2013: Mixed results and late-season revival

Kvitová began 2013 at the Brisbane International. Seeded sixth, she bowed out in the second round to eventual runner-up Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. She then dropped her opening match in Sydney to Dominika Cibulková. Kvitová was the eighth seed at the Australian Open. She moved past Francesca Schiavone in the first round in three sets. In the second round, however, she struggled against Laura Robson and eventually succumbed to the Brit in three sets. Kvitová was then awarded a wildcard into the Open GDF Suez. She defeated Stefanie Vögele to reach the quarterfinals where she was upset by Kristina Mladenovic in straight sets. In the opening round of Fed Cup, where the Czech team faced Australia, Kvitová started with a win in singles over Jarmila Gajdošová and followed it up with a three-set victory over Samantha Stosur, saving a match point in the process. The Czechs then advanced to the semifinals with a 4–0 scoreline.
Kvitová then sailed to her first title of the year, and a milestone 10th of her career, in Dubai, despite having never won a match at the tournament before. She defeated the likes of Daniela Hantuchová, Ana Ivanovic, Agnieszka Radwańska, Caroline Wozniacki and Sara Errani en route to the title. This was followed by a quarterfinal appearance at the Qatar Ladies Open where she lost to Serena Williams in three sets, thus allowing Williams to regain the world No. 1 ranking. She then reached her first ever quarterfinal at the Indian Wells Open. As the fifth seed, she defeated Olga Govortsova, Lesia Tsurenko and Klara Zakopalová before coming up short to Maria Kirilenko in three sets. This was followed by a loss to Kirsten Flipkens in the third round of Miami.
Kvitová started her clay court season by reaching the final in Katowice where she was upset by Roberta Vinci in straight sets. During the Fed Cup semifinal tie against Italy, Kvitová lost to Vinci once again in her first match before managing to overcome Errani in three sets. However, in a repeat of their 2010 semifinal tie result, the Czechs, who were the two-time defending champions, fell to the Italian team once more. In Stuttgart, Kvitová beat Germans Annika Beck and Julia Görges to reach the quarterfinals where she lost to Li Na. She then suffered an early exit in Madrid to Hantuchová. In Rome, she struggled past Sabine Lisicki in her opener but then lost to Stosur. At the French Open, Kvitová beat Aravane Rezaï and Peng Shuai before losing in the third round to Jamie Hampton in straight sets, in a match where she struggled.
Kvitová kicked off the grass court season in Eastbourne, losing to Yanina Wickmayer in the second round. Seeded eighth, Kvitová reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon. She overcame Coco Vandeweghe in the first round in three sets before receiving a walkover from Yaroslava Shvedova. She reached the last eight after defeating Ekaterina Makarova and Carla Suárez Navarro but there, she succumbed to Flipkens in three sets.
During the US Open series, Kvitová reached the last eight of the Southern California Open where she was upset by Virginie Razzano. She was the defending champion at the Canadian Open and defeated Eugenie Bouchard and Stosur to reach the quarterfinals but failed to defend her title when she lost to eventual finalist Sorana Cîrstea in three sets. At the Cincinnati Open, she lost to Wozniacki in the third round. Kvitová was the defending champion in New Haven and made the final once more but was defeated by the rising Simona Halep. At the US Open, she fell to Alison Riske in the third round, causing her to drop out of the top 10 for the first time since May 2011.
At the Pan Pacific Open, seventh-seeded Kvitová reached the quarterfinals after defeating a pair of youngsters, Belinda Bencic and Madison Keys, both in straight sets. Then, she overcame Svetlana Kuznetsova and Venus Williams to reach the final where she defeated Angelique Kerber for her second title of 2013, her 11th career title overall. She then reached the semifinals of the China Open where she lost to Jelena Janković. As a result of her strong results in Asia, she qualified for the WTA Tour Championships on 7 October. As the fifth seed, she qualified for the semifinals after recording victories over Radwańska and Kerber in the round-robin stage but there, she lost to Li in straight sets. She ended the year as world No. 6. Furthermore, Kvitová was awarded the Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award for the second time.

2014: Second Wimbledon title and Fed Cup triplet

Kvitová started 2014 by playing the Hopman Cup with Radek Štěpánek. She won all of her singles matches but they did not advance to the final, finishing second in their group behind eventual champions France. Kvitová then competed in Sydney where she advanced to the last four after defeating Christina McHale and compatriot Lucie Šafářová. There, she was stunned by qualifier Tsvetana Pironkova in straight sets. At the Australian Open, she succumbed to Luksika Kumkhum in the first round in three sets. It was the first time Kvitová exited a Grand Slam tournament in the opening round since the 2011 US Open.
Kvitová was scheduled to play the Open GDF Suez, but withdrew prior to her opening match because of a respiratory illness. Because of this illness, she was unable to compete in the Fed Cup opening round tie against Spain. At the Qatar Ladies Open, third-seeded Kvitová cruised into the quarterfinals with two tough three-set victories over Venus Williams and Šafářová before falling to Jelena Janković in straight sets. At the Dubai Tennis Championships, she failed to defend her title when she lost her opening match to Carla Suárez Navarro. Next, Kvitová competed in Indian Wells where she was the eighth seed. She beat Coco Vandeweghe and 27th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova before losing to 12th seed Dominika Cibulková in the round of 16. In Miami, she was seeded eighth again and defeated Paula Ormaechea, Donna Vekić and 12th seed Ana Ivanovic to reach her first quarterfinal of the tournament. There, she fell to fourth seed Maria Sharapova in straight sets.
At the Fed Cup semifinal tie against Italy, Kvitová dispatched both Camila Giorgi and Roberta Vinci in straight sets, thus sending the Czech team into their third final in the last four years. Kvitová began her clay court campaign in Stuttgart, losing to Alisa Kleybanova in her opening match. At the Madrid Open, she defeated Sorana Cîrstea, Varvara Lepchenko and Šafářová to reach the quarterfinals, where she received a walkover from top seed Serena Williams. She then lost to eventual finalist Simona Halep in the last four. Kvitová then lost her opening match in Rome to Zhang Shuai. She exited in the third round of the French Open for the second year in a row, this time to former champion Kuznetsova in a marathon three-setter.
During the grass court swing, Kvitová competed in Eastbourne where she advanced to the quarterfinals but was then forced to withdraw due to a hamstring injury. Kvitová was seeded sixth at Wimbledon. She won her first two matches easily against compatriot Andrea Hlaváčková and German Mona Barthel. She faced former champion and 30th seed Venus Williams in the third round and was two points away from losing the match but went on to win in three sets. After dismissing Peng Shuai in the fourth round, she beat two more Czechs in the form of Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová and Šafářová to reach the final. There, she defeated Eugenie Bouchard in straight sets to win her second Grand Slam title. She rose to world No. 4 as a result, thus returning to the top 5 rankings for the first time since 2012.
Kvitová kicked off the US Open series at the Canadian Open where she was the second seed. She received a first round bye and faced Aussie Casey Dellacqua in her opening match, which she won in straight sets. In the third round, she lost to Ekaterina Makarova in three sets. In Cincinnati, third-seeded Kvitová received a first round bye and faced Elina Svitolina in her opener but was upset by the Ukrainian in straight sets. At the Connecticut Open where she was seeded second, she received a bye into second round where she faced Makarova again, whom which she defeated easily in straight sets this time to reach the last eight. She was the only seed to reach the quarterfinals. There, she beat Záhlavová-Strýcová in straight sets. She then went on to defeat Samantha Stosur to reach her third consecutive final in New Haven. She won the title by defeating Magdaléna Rybáriková in the final, her 13th career title.
At the US Open, Kvitová was upset by Serbian qualifier Aleksandra Krunić in the third round.
The following month at the inaugural Wuhan Open, third-seeded Kvitová cruised into the third round on an upset-filled day by defeating Italy's Karin Knapp in her opening match in straight sets. She then overcame fellow Czech Karolína Plíšková for a place in the last eight where she moved past Caroline Garcia. In the semifinals, Kvitová avenged her loss to Svitolina by defeating the Ukrainian in straight sets to reach the final. There, she beat Bouchard in straight sets to claim her 14th career title. With this victory, Kvitová became the fourth player to qualify for the WTA Finals in Singapore. It was also the first time since 2011 where she had won more than two titles in a season. Then, the following week at the China Open, Kvitová carried on her good form by reaching her fourth final of the year but lost to Sharapova in three sets.
At the WTA Finals, Kvitová was upset by Agnieszka Radwańska in her opening match in straight sets. She then recorded a straight-set victory over Sharapova, ending a five-match losing streak against her, but then lost her bid to qualify for the semifinals when she succumbed to Caroline Wozniacki in her last round-robin match. Nevertheless, Kvitová ended the year as world No. 4. At the Fed Cup where Czech Republic faced Germany for the title, she prevailed over Andrea Petkovic in straight sets and Angelique Kerber in a thrilling three-setter. In the end, Czech Republic clinched its third Fed Cup title in four years by winning the final 3–1. Kvitová received two awards in 2014, the Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award and the Diamond Aces Award.

2015: Steady ranking and coping with mononucleosis

Kvitová kicked off 2015 in Shenzhen as the second seed, where she lost to eighth seed Timea Bacsinszky in the semifinals. Kvitová was the second seed in Sydney and received a first round bye. She defeated Peng Shuai in the second round and then beat Jarmila Gajdošová in the last eight. In a rematch of their semifinal here a year ago, Kvitová avenged her earlier loss to Tsvetana Pironkova, and then went on to defeat fellow Czech Karolína Plíšková in the final for her first title of the year, the 15th of her career. At the Australian Open, fourth-seeded Kvitová was upset by Madison Keys in the third round in straight sets. Kvitová then lost in Dubai and Doha in the third round and quarterfinals respectively, both at the hands of Carla Suárez Navarro. She subsequently withdrew from Indian Wells and Miami due to exhaustion. She launched her comeback after a six-week break at the Fed Cup semifinals, where the Czechs faced France. Kvitová won both her rubbers in straight sets, defeating Kristina Mladenovic and Caroline Garcia. The Czech team subsequently advanced to the final for the fourth time in five years.
After dropping her opening match in Stuttgart to Madison Brengle, Kvitová sailed into the quarterfinals in Madrid with wins over Olga Govortsova, Coco Vandeweghe and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. She then advanced to the semifinals after dispatching Irina-Camelia Begu in straight sets, setting up a clash with world No. 1 Serena Williams. She had not beaten Williams in five previous attempts but upset the American in straight sets to advance to her second Madrid final. The win also ended Williams' 27-match winning streak dating back to the WTA Finals the previous year. In the final, she defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova in a dominating performance to claim her 16th career title. The following week in Rome, Kvitová cruised into her second quarterfinal here but lost to Suárez Navarro for the third time this year. Seeded fourth at the French Open, she defeated Marina Erakovic, Sílvia Soler Espinosa and 30th seed Begu to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament outside of Wimbledon for the first time since the 2012 US Open. There, she was upset by 24th seed Bacsinszky in three sets. Nevertheless, following the tournament's conclusion, Kvitová returned to the world No. 2 ranking for the first time since February 2012.
Kvitová began her grass court season at Wimbledon, after withdrawing from Eastbourne the week before with an illness. As the defending champion and the second seed, she handily defeated Kiki Bertens in the first round in 35 minutes, losing just one point on serve via a double fault. She then defeated Kurumi Nara in the second round in straight sets to advance to the third round where she faced 28th seed Jelena Janković. There, Kvitová led by a set and a break, but was upset by the former world No. 1 in the end in a tight three-setter, thus ending her journey as the defending champion.
In August, it was revealed that Kvitová was diagnosed with mononucleosis and that she contracted the virus during spring earlier in the year but nevertheless, was cleared to compete. During the US Open series, Kvitová lost her openers in Toronto and Cincinnati. Then, as the defending champion at the Connecticut Open, second-seeded Kvitová received a bye in the opening round and safely advanced to the semifinals after defeating Keys and Agnieszka Radwańska. She then rolled past Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets for a place in her fourth straight final at the tournament, where she beat compatriot Lucie Šafářová in three sets for her 17th career title. With this win, she also successfully defended a title for the first time in her career. At the US Open, Kvitová was the fifth seed and reached the round of 16 after defeating Laura Siegemund, wildcard Nicole Gibbs and 32nd seed Anna Karolína Schmiedlová, all in straight sets. She then advanced to her maiden quarterfinal at the tournament after seeing off qualifier Johanna Konta, thus completing the feat of reaching at least the quarterfinals of all four Grand Slam tournaments in her career. There, she fell short to 26th seed and eventual champion Flavia Pennetta in three sets.
The Asian swing was not a successful one for Kvitová as she lost early in Wuhan and Beijing. Nevertheless, she qualified for the WTA Finals on 14 October. Seeded fourth, she lost her round-robin matches to Angelique Kerber and Garbiñe Muguruza but scored a win over Šafářová. However, she managed to secure a spot in the semifinals where she defeated Maria Sharapova in straight sets to advance to her second final at the tournament. This was also the first ever final of the tournament since the inception of the round-robin format between two players with a losing record in the group stage. There, she lost to Radwańska in three sets. Kvitová finished the year as world No. 6. She participated in the Fed Cup final, going 1–1 in her singles matches, with the Czechs defending their title in the end by winning the decisive doubles rubber. That year, Kvitová also won the Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award for the third year running.

2016: Olympic bronze medal and Fed Cup quintet

Kvitová had a slow start in 2016 due to gastrointestinal illness, going 2–4 in main draw matches for the first two months, with the wins coming over Luksika Kumkhum at the Australian Open and Barbora Strýcová in Doha. A week after the conclusion of the Australian Open, Kvitová and long-time coach David Kotyza split. In the Fed Cup opening round tie against Romania, she lost both of her singles matches. However, the Czech team ultimately cruised into the semifinals with the score 3–2. At the Indian Wells Open where she was seeded eighth, Kvitová won consecutive matches for the first time in almost six months, reaching her first quarterfinal of the year in the process. There, she lost to Agnieszka Radwańska in straight sets. However, this was followed by an early loss in Miami in the hands of 30th seed Ekaterina Makarova.
Entering the clay court swing, Kvitová announced Czech doubles specialist František Čermák as her new coach. Seeded fifth in Stuttgart, she made her first semifinal at the tournament since 2012 but there, she lost to eventual champion Angelique Kerber. She then lost early in Madrid and Rome, the former in which she was the defending champion. As a result, she dropped out of the top 10 for the first time since September 2013, at world No. 12, also her lowest ranking since May 2011. At the French Open, Kvitová was upset by eventual surprise quarterfinalist Shelby Rogers in the third round in three sets, receiving bagels in both sets lost.
Kvitová suffered a dire grass court season as she failed to produce a winning record on the surface, falling early to Jeļena Ostapenko and Johanna Konta in Birmingham and Eastbourne respectively. Seeded 10th at Wimbledon, she easily defeated Sorana Cîrstea in the first round but in a rain-interrupted second round encounter against Makarova however, she succumbed to the Russian in a tight straight-set loss. After Wimbledon, Kvitová exited the top 10 once again, having spent a short stint there throughout the tournament's two-week duration.
Kicking off the US Open series in Montreal, Kvitová made the round of 16 where she lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova in straight sets. At the Summer Olympics, 11th-seeded Kvitová defeated the likes of Tímea Babos and Caroline Wozniacki, and then avenged her earlier two losses to Makarova to sail into her second consecutive Olympic quarterfinal, where she beat Elina Svitolina in straight sets. She came up short to eventual gold medallist Monica Puig in the semifinals, but then defeated Madison Keys in the bronze medal match to win her first ever Olympic medal. Thus, she became the first Czech player of either gender to win an Olympic medal in the singles discipline since Jana Novotná in 1996. Kvitová was the two-time defending champion in New Haven but saw her title defence come to an end in the semifinals in the hands of Radwańska. As the 14th seed at the US Open, where for the first time since the 2011 Australian Open, Kvitová was not a top 10 seed at a Grand Slam tournament, she reached the round of 16 but lost to eventual champion Kerber in straight sets. The loss meant Kvitová has failed to make a single Grand Slam quarterfinal in a season for the first time since 2009. After the US Open, Kvitová announced that she and coach Čermák have gone separate ways.
Kvitová began the Asian swing with a loss to Puig in the second round of Tokyo. At the Wuhan Open, she sailed past Ostapenko and Svitolina in straight sets for a place in the third round. There, she scored her fourth win over a reigning world No. 1 when she defeated Kerber in three sets, in a match that lasted over three-and-a-half hours. In the quarterfinals, she beat Konta and then in the last four, she went on to score her first win over Simona Halep to reach her first final of the year. There, she dominated Dominika Cibulková in straight sets for her 18th career title, thus putting an end to a 13-month title drought. She then reached the quarterfinals of the China Open where she lost to Keys. The loss ended Kvitová's hopes of qualifying for the WTA Finals, having recorded five straight appearances at the event dating back to 2011. At the Luxembourg Open, top-seeded Kvitová reached the final but lost to Monica Niculescu in straight sets.
Despite not making the cut for the WTA Finals, Kvitová qualified for the WTA Elite Trophy. As the third seed, she was drawn into the same group as Roberta Vinci and Strýcová, defeating both players in straight sets to advance to the semifinals where she sailed past wildcard Zhang Shuai. In the final, she beat Svitolina in straight sets to win the tournament on debut, thus lifting her 19th career title and her first title indoors since winning the WTA Finals in 2011. Kvitová ended the season as world No. 11. She then represented her nation in the Fed Cup final where they took on France. Despite losing her only singles rubber against Caroline Garcia, the Czechs went on to successfully defend their title by winning the tie 3–2 to lift their third successive trophy, their fifth in the last six years. With that achievement, Kvitová claimed the record of most Fed Cup titles won by a Czech player, having been part of all of the teams that took home those five crowns. Moreover, she was awarded the Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award for the fourth year in a row, her fifth overall.

2017: Comeback from knife attack and out of top 20

During the off-season in 2016, going into 2017, Kvitová announced Jiří Vaněk as her new coach. However, her plans were jeopardized when she was attacked during a break-in at her home in the Czech Republic by a knife-wielding robber shortly before Christmas. During the break-in she suffered cuts to her dominant left hand, resulting in injuries to the tendons and nerves. She was initially expected to be sidelined for six months. In late May, Kvitová announced she would return to competition at the French Open, a month ahead of schedule. She kicked off her Paris comeback with a win against American Julia Boserup in the first round. However, she lost to Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the following round in straight sets.
Kvitová began the grass court swing at the Birmingham Classic, where she defeated both Tereza Smitková and Naomi Broady in straight sets to reach her first quarterfinal of 2017, also her first on grass since the 2014 Wimbledon Championships. There, she took down fifth seed Kristina Mladenovic to reach the last four, where she moved past Lucie Šafářová. In the final, she beat Ashleigh Barty in three sets for her milestone 20th career title. However, she then suffered a second consecutive loss in the second round of Wimbledon, this time to Madison Brengle in three sets.
During the US Open series, Kvitová posted a quarterfinal appearance in Stanford, but then lost early in Toronto and Cincinnati, both at the hands of the resurgent Sloane Stephens, before bowing out in the opening round of New Haven to Zhang Shuai. However, she bounced back at the US Open by beating Jelena Janković, Alizé Cornet and 18th seed Caroline Garcia to reach the fourth round. There, she saw off third seed Garbiñe Muguruza to sail into her tenth Grand Slam tournament quarterfinal where she was stopped by ninth seed Venus Williams in three sets.
Kvitová kicked off the Asian swing in Wuhan where she was the defending champion and faced local player Peng Shuai at the first hurdle, but came up short in an epic three-set match that lasted three hours and 34 minutes. The match is the longest of Kvitová's career to date. At the China Open, she moved past fellow Czech Kristýna Plíšková and American Varvara Lepchenko to reach the third round where saw off fifth seed Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets. She then beat Barbora Strýcová to reach the semifinals but there, she was defeated by eventual champion Garcia in straight sets. The loss meant that for the first time since 2010, Kvitová did not win a Premier Mandatory or Premier 5 title during a season. She then lost in the first round of Tianjin to Zhu Lin in three sets. As a result of not qualifying for the WTA Elite Trophy where she was the defending champion, Kvitová fell out of the top 20 rankings for the first time since January 2011. She subsequently concluded the year as world No. 29. Nevertheless, Kvitová was awarded the Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award once again, her fifth in succession and sixth in the last seven seasons.

2018: Five WTA titles and re-entry into top 5

Kvitová started 2018 in Sydney, unseeded at a Premier event for the first time since the 2010 Kremlin Cup, having been forced to withdraw from Brisbane the week before due to a viral illness. She lost to Camila Giorgi in the second round. She then fell in the opening round of the Australian Open, succumbing to Andrea Petkovic in three sets despite having served for the match twice. However, she bounced back by winning the St. Petersburg Ladies' Trophy. En route to the final, she saw past the likes of Elena Vesnina, Irina-Camelia Begu, Jeļena Ostapenko and Julia Görges. She then beat Kristina Mladenovic in the final in a dominating performance to win her 21st career title, thus becoming the first left-handed player to win a singles title in Russia. Kvitová then won her singles matches against Viktorija Golubic and Belinda Bencic in the opening round of the Fed Cup where the Czech Republic took on Switzerland, with the Czechs eventually cruising into the last four with the score 3–1, also their tenth consecutive Fed Cup semifinal appearance. The tie also marked the first time since the 2015 final against Russia where Kvitová won a Fed Cup match.
Kvitová carried her good form into the Qatar Ladies Open, defeating Çağla Büyükakçay, Agnieszka Radwańska and Elina Svitolina to reach the quarterfinals. There, she moved past Görges via a retirement and then overcame world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in three sets to move into the final, where she outlasted fourth seed Garbiñe Muguruza in three sets to capture her 22nd career title, thus guaranteeing her return to the top 10 for the first time since June 2016. In Indian Wells, ninth-seeded Kvitová scrapped past Kazakh Yulia Putintseva in the opener in three sets to record the equal-longest winning streak of her career, 14 wins, dating back to her title run in St. Petersburg a month before. However, she saw that streak expire when she lost to young American wildcard Amanda Anisimova in the following round in straight sets. She then beat Aryna Sabalenka and Sofia Kenin to reach the fourth round in Miami where she was beaten by Ostapenko.
Kvitová started off her clay court season with her maiden appearance in Charleston but lost her opener to fellow Czech Kristýna Plíšková, marking her first loss to a Czech player since May 2012, having amassed a run of 24 consecutive wins against her compatriots during that period. Then, facing Germany in the Fed Cup semifinals, she notched wins over Görges and Angelique Kerber, thus sending the Czech team into its sixth final in the last eight years. This was followed by a loss to Kerber in the first round of Stuttgart. Kvitová then enacted a 13-match winning streak the remainder of the clay court swing, first, by claiming the title in Prague, her maiden title on home soil, dispatching Tereza Smitková, Natalia Vikhlyantseva, Kateřina Siniaková and Zhang Shuai to reach the final, all without the loss of a set. There, she came back from a set down to beat Mihaela Buzărnescu for her 23rd career title, her first at an International-level tournament since Linz in 2011. She then breezed through to her second crown in two weeks by winning her third title in Madrid, becoming the first woman to do so, by seeing off Lesia Tsurenko, Monica Puig, Anett Kontaveit, Daria Kasatkina and Karolína Plíšková to make the final, where she fought through a tough three-setter to see off Kiki Bertens for her 24th career title. The winning streak ended at the French Open, when she crashed out in the third round to 25th seed Kontaveit in straight sets.
Starting the grass court season in Birmingham where she was the defending champion, Kvitová saw off the likes of Johanna Konta and Daria Gavrilova to record her fifth quarterfinal appearance of 2018. There, she beat Görges in straight sets for her 50th main draw win on grass. She then moved past Buzarnescu to reach the final where she defeated Magdalena Rybaríková in three sets for her 25th career title, also the second successful title defence of her career after the 2015 Connecticut Open. She then beat Kateryna Bondarenko in her opener in Eastbourne before withdrawing due to a hamstring injury. At Wimbledon, Kvitová bowed out in the first round on a day filled with upsets, succumbing to Aliaksandra Sasnovich in three sets. It was her first defeat in the opening round of the tournament since 2009, and 2018 also marks the first season since 2009 where she suffered multiple opening-round exits at the Grand Slams.
Kvitová began the month of August at the Canadian Open where she was dispatched by Bertens in the third round in straight sets. The following week in Cincinnati, her form improved, beating Serena Williams, Mladenovic and 15th seed Elise Mertens to sail into her first semifinal of the tournament since 2012, where she was stopped by Bertens once more, this time in three sets. Nevertheless, Kvitová returned to the top 5 rankings for the first time in almost three years by virtue of that result. She then made the quarterfinals of the Connecticut Open where she retired to Carla Suárez Navarro after dropping the first set due to a shoulder injury. This was followed by a defeat in the hands of 26th seed Sabalenka in the third round of the US Open. The loss meant that for the first time in her career, Kvitová has failed to record an appearance in the second week at the Grand Slams in a season.
Kvitová then suffered a dismal Asian swing with early exits in Wuhan and Beijing. On 4 October, she became the fourth player to qualify for the WTA Finals. Seeded fourth in her first appearance at the tournament since 2015, she bowed out in the round-robin stage, failing to score a win with losses to Svitolina, Wozniacki and Plíšková, thus making it her worst result of the tournament to date. She subsequently ended the year ranked world No. 7, her first top 10 finish since 2015. In the Fed Cup final, where Czech Republic took on the United States, Kvitová was nominated as part of the Czech team but illness forced her out of play. Nevertheless, the Czechs won the tie with the score 3–0, making it their sixth Fed Cup title in the last eight seasons. Furthermore, Kvitová was awarded the Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award for the seventh time overall.

2019: Australian Open final and injury struggles

Kvitová started the 2019 season in Brisbane. She advanced through the first round after defeating Danielle Collins in a match that lasted over three hours, before losing to Anett Kontaveit in the second round. She then claimed her second title in Sydney. She defeated Aryna Sabalenka and Hsieh Su-wei to reach her first quarterfinal on Australian soil since winning here in 2015. There, she defeated defending champion Angelique Kerber and then moved past Aliaksandra Sasnovich to book her place in the final. There, she came back from a set down to defeat Ashleigh Barty, winning her 26th career title.
As the eighth seed at the Australian Open, Kvitová cruised into the quarterfinals without dropping a set, recording wins over Magdaléna Rybáriková, Irina-Camelia Begu, Belinda Bencic and Amanda Anisimova. Her win over Bencic saw her through to the second week here for the first time since 2012, and for the first time at a Grand Slam outside the US Open since the 2015 French Open. In the quarterfinals, she moved past Barty in straight sets and then beat Collins in straight sets to advance to her first Grand Slam final since 2014, and her first outside Wimbledon. There, she faced fourth seed Naomi Osaka, with the world No. 1 ranking at stake. After losing the first-set tiebreak, Kvitová made a big comeback during the second set after facing three championship points on her own serve. She then won four consecutive games to claim the set. However, Osaka recovered from this turnaround, breaking Kvitová early in the decider en route to claiming victory. Nevertheless, Kvitová returned to the world No. 2 ranking for the first time since June 2015 after the tournament's conclusion.
The following week, Kvitová competed in St. Petersburg where she was the defending champion, defeating Victoria Azarenka in her opener to reach the quarterfinals where she lost to Donna Vekić. At the Dubai Tennis Championships, Kvitová recorded consecutive wins here for the first time since 2013, beating both Kateřina Siniaková and Jennifer Brady in three sets to reach the quarterfinals, where saw off Viktória Kužmová in straight sets. In the last four, she edged past Hsieh to reach the final where she succumbed to Bencic in three sets. The loss marked the first time since 2013 where Kvitová lost back-to-back finals. She then lost her opening match at the Indian Wells Open, coming up short in a tight three-setter to Venus Williams. She then competed in Miami, where she was seeded third, beating Maria Sakkari, 26th seed Vekić and 19th seed Caroline Garcia to return to her second quarterfinal of the tournament. There, she succumbed to 12th seed Barty in three sets.
Kvitová began her clay court season in Stuttgart where she became the first player to win two titles in 2019. Seeded third, she saw off the likes of Greet Minnen, seventh seed Anastasija Sevastova and sixth seed Kiki Bertens en route to the final, where she beat eighth seed Kontaveit in straight sets for her overall 27th, and most recent, career title, also her first on clay outside Madrid. She was the defending champion at the Madrid Open and made the last eight where she lost to eventual champion Bertens, in a rematch of last year's final, in straight sets. At the Italian Open, her first appearance here since 2016, Kvitová made the third round where she faced Sakkari but retired with an injured calf while trailing in the decider. She then pulled out of the French Open with an arm injury, bringing her clay court swing to a premature close. Returning to competition at Wimbledon after a six-week layoff, sixth-seeded Kvitová cruised to the fourth round, her first appearance in the second week here since winning the title in 2014, but lost to 19th seed Johanna Konta in three sets.
During the summer, Kvitová was forced to withdraw from the Canadian Open to recover from the arm injury that has been plaguing her the past two months. She returned to action in Cincinnati where she fell in her opener to Sakkari in three sets. This was followed by a loss to Andrea Petkovic in the second round of the US Open, her earliest loss at the tournament since 2011. However, she bounced back with strong results during the Asian swing. In Wuhan, she sailed to the last four by scoring wins over Polona Hercog, Sloane Stephens and Dayana Yastremska, all in straight sets, but was then stopped by Alison Riske. The following week in Beijing, she recorded her fifth quarterfinal appearance at the tournament, after defeating Mladenovic and ninth seed Bencic, both in straight sets, where she succumbed to world No. 1 Barty in three sets.
On 7 October, Kvitová was announced as the sixth qualifier for the WTA Finals. Seeded sixth at the tournament, also her seventh appearance here, the most of any player this decade, however, Kvitová suffered a winless outing for the second year in a row, with losses to Osaka, Bencic and Barty, thus crashing out in the round-robin stage. The result also saw Kvitová's losing streak at the tournament, dating back to her loss in the 2015 final to Agnieszka Radwańska, extended to seven matches. She also became the only player this decade to suffer multiple winless appearances at the tournament, the first since Elena Dementieva, in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Kvitova maintained her year-end ranking from the previous year, world No. 7, tying Caroline Wozniacki and Serena Williams for most top-10 season finishes this decade, seven seasons. Furthermore, she was awarded the Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award for the seventh year running, her eighth overall, and ties Kim Clijsters for most Sportsmanship Award wins.

2020

Kvitová began 2020 at the Brisbane International. Seeded fifth, she scored back-to-back wins here for the first time in three appearances, thus recording her best result here since winning the title in 2011, by making the semifinals where she lost to eighth seed Madison Keys in three sets. She then made the quarterfinals of the Australian Open with wins over Kateřina Siniaková, Paula Badosa, 25th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova and 22nd seed Maria Sakkari. The result saw Kvitová record consecutive quarterfinal appearances at the same Grand Slam tournament for the first since the 2014 Wimbledon Championships. There, however, she succumbed to world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty in straight sets, which handed the top-ranked player her first win over a top-10 opponent at the Grand Slams. It was also Kvitová's fourth consecutive defeat to the Aussie, and having failed to defend her runner-up result here from a year ago, she dropped out of the top 10, for the first time since February 2018.
Kvitová then made the quarterfinals at St. Petersburg, after overcoming Alison van Uytvanck in her opener in three sets, thus making at least the quarterfinal stage in her first three tournaments of the season for the first time since 2011. There, however, she conceded a walkover to Alexandrova due to illness. Kvitová's final tournament appearance, before the suspension of the tour in March due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, was in Doha where she was the eighth seed. There, she clinched a spot in her second final here after defeating the likes of Carla Suárez Navarro, Jeļena Ostapenko, Ons Jabeur and world No. 1 Barty, ending a four-match losing streak against the latter. However, she succumbed to ninth seed Aryna Sabalenka in the championship match in straight sets, making it the tenth runner-up finish of her career. Further suspensions to the 2020 season followed, the latest one due to last till end of July.
However, in spite of the suspension of the 2020 season, Kvitová made her unofficial return to the sport in May at an all-Czech exhibition event held in Prague, where she beat the likes of Barbora Krejčíková, Siniaková and Karolína Muchová to lift the title. In July, she followed up with appearances in the final of both legs of another exhibition event in Berlin, one on grass and another on an indoor hardcourt. She lost both finals from a set up, to Elina Svitolina in the former and Anastasija Sevastova in the latter.

Playing style

Kvitová uses the pinpoint service stance and is known for her fast and well-placed serves. As a left-handed player, she executes the shot well by serving out wide away from her opponent, especially on the advantage-side of the court to her opponent's backhand, and then coming forward to finish off the point with a winner down the line. She is also noted for her exceptional timing. On forehands, she prefers to take the ball early, thus allowing her to produce down-the-line winners effectively. On backhands, she utilizes all the important muscle groups to produce shots with exceptional amount of power. When returning, she uses a short compact motion which allows her to return aggressively regardless of the serve speed. She is also known to attack weak second serves by producing powerful winners. She also possesses notable amount of variety in her game. Her volleys tend to come more from her forehand, her stronger side, which she executes by moving her racket in a straight line, also allowing her to disguise the shot well enough from her opponents. In the slice department, she has the ability to keep the ball low and performs the shot better on her backhand wing. Due to her tall frame, she is known to make up for her lack of speed by playing close to the baseline. Her game suits the fast courts and she cites grass as her favourite surface.
However, due to her high-risk game and aggressive style of play she is known to produce a high number of unforced errors in matches. Movement is another weakness in her game though it has shown significant improvement over the last couple of years as she is now able to run down more balls than before. She is known for her inconsistencies, inability to maintain focus on and off during matches as well as impatience mid-rally. Kvitová sometimes struggles against defensive players, including Angelique Kerber and Simona Halep, who prolong points to the extent that Kvitová feels she must hit a winner, thus increasing the chances of producing an unforced error. Against such opponents, she has been shown to break down physically due to her opponent's use of court craft, consistency and patience on court.
However, when Kvitová is at her best, she is extremely dangerous, as seen in the final of the 2015 Madrid Open against Svetlana Kuznetsova where she hit 33 winners in the 66-minute contest, an average of a winner every two minutes.

Rivalries

Kvitová vs. Wozniacki

Kvitová and Caroline Wozniacki have met 14 times. Kvitová leads the head-to-head 8–6. They have played each other at least once a year, beginning in 2009 until 2018.
Their first meeting came in 2009 in the second round of the Swedish Open with Wozniacki winning comfortably. The following year, in the first round of the Madrid Open, Wozniacki beat Kvitová once again. Two months later, Kvitová scored her first win over Wozniacki in the round of 16 of the Wimbledon Championships, winning with the loss of just two games and hitting 23 winners to Wozniacki's four. At the end of the year, the two met in the third round of the China Open where Wozniacki beat Kvitová comfortably once more and ensured herself the world No. 1 ranking as a result.
Kvitová then proceeded to win their next three clashes – in the round-robin stage of the 2011 WTA Tour Championships, Montreal semifinals in 2012 and Dubai semifinals in 2013. Wozniacki exacted revenge by winning their next two meetings – in the third round of Cincinnati in 2013 and the round-robin stage of the 2014 WTA Finals. After that, Kvitová won their next four meetings in a row, all on hard courts – the New Haven semifinals in 2015, second round of the Rio Olympics in 2016, third round of Beijing in 2017 and the semifinals of Doha in 2018, the latter where Wozniacki served for the match twice. Wozniacki then ended the losing streak with a win in their last clash, the round robin stage of the 2018 WTA Finals where she edged past Kvitová in three sets. Wozniacki then retired in 2020 after the Australian Open.

Kvitová vs. Radwańska

Kvitová and Agnieszka Radwańska met 13 times. Kvitová leads the head-to-head 8–5. Kvitová dominated the early stages of their rivalry, winning five of their first six clashes. Their first meeting came in the semifinals of the 2009 Linz Open which Kvitová won in straight sets. Their next two encounters came in 2011, the first in quarterfinals of Eastbourne where Kvitová came back from a set down to beat Radwańska, and then in the round-robin stage of the WTA Tour Championships which Kvitová won in straight sets. A year later, also in the round-robin stage of the WTA Tour Championships, Radwańska scored her first win Kvitová, thus exacting revenge for her loss from a year ago by winning comfortably in straight sets.
Kvitová then went on to win their next two clashes in straight sets – in the quarterfinals of Dubai and the round-robin stage of the WTA Tour Championships, both in 2013. At the 2014 WTA Finals, Radwańska won their round-robin match easily, only for Kvitová to avenge the loss in the semifinals of New Haven the following year. Radwańska followed up by winning their next three encounters – in the final of the 2015 WTA Finals, the quarterfinals of 2016 Indian Wells Open and the semifinals of 2016 Connecticut Open, the latter with the loss of just two games, the most dominant scoreline in all their encounters.
The pair did not meet in 2017, the first time since 2010, and in 2018, Kvitová snapped the losing streak by winning their last two clashes – the second round of Doha in three sets, and the opening round New Haven, their final encounter, in straight sets. Radwańska then retired at the end of 2018.

Kvitová vs. Sharapova

Kvitová and Maria Sharapova met 11 times. Kvitová trails the head-to-head 4–7. Their first meeting came in the semifinals of Memphis back in 2010, which Sharapova won in straight sets. Kvitová then proceeded to claim her first two wins over the Russian, in the final of the 2011 Wimbledon Championships in straight sets and later that year, in the semifinals of the Pan Pacific Open via retirement.
Sharapova then went on a five-match winning streak – in the semifinals of the Australian Open, the Women's Stuttgart Open and the French Open, all in 2012, and then in 2014, in the quarterfinals of Miami and the final of Beijing. At the 2014 WTA Finals, Kvitová gained her revenge by beating Sharapova in straight sets in their round-robin match, and then scored another win here the following year in the semifinals, both in straight sets. Their final encounter came in the 2015 Fed Cup final, where Sharapova edged past Kvitová in three sets. Sharapova then retired in February 2020.

Kvitová vs. Kerber

Kvitová and Angelique Kerber have met 13 times with Kvitová currently leading the head-to-head 7–6. Their first three meetings came in 2012, the first in Stuttgart where Kvitová won in straight sets. Kerber then won their two next clashes in the quarterfinals of Rome and the semifinals of Cincinnati, both in three sets.
Kvitová followed up with three consecutive wins in their next meetings – in the final of the Pan Pacific Open and the round-robin stage of the WTA Tour Championships, both in 2013, and the Fed Cup final in 2014, all in three sets. That same winning streak then turned to Kerber's favour – in the round-robin stage of the WTA Finals in 2015, the semifinals of Stuttgart and the fourth round of the US Open, the latter two in 2016.
In their tenth clash, in the third round of Wuhan in 2016, Kvitová edged past Kerber in three sets in a match that lasted over three-and-a-half hours, which is also their longest match to date. Then, in the semifinals of the Fed Cup in 2018, Kvitová saw off Kerber in straight sets, her first such win over the German since their first meeting, only for Kerber to exact revenge in their opening-round clash in Stuttgart a few days later. Their most recent meeting came in early 2019, in the last eight of Sydney which Kvitová won comfortably in straight sets.

Kvitová vs. Li

Kvitová and Li Na met seven times. Kvitová trails the head-to-head 3–4. All their encounters came throughout 2011 to 2013, the first being the semifinals of the 2011 Madrid Open which Kvitová won comfortably in straight sets. Later that month, in the fourth round of the French Open, Li exacted revenge by coming back from a set down to beat Kvitová, and would go on to win the title.
The following year, they clashed in the semifinals of Sydney where Li, once more, beat Kvitová despite being a set down, this time denying Kvitová the No. 1 ranking. Later that year, Kvitová scored her second win over Li, in the Montreal final which she won in three sets to snap a 10-month title drought and capture her first title of 2012.
They met thrice in 2013. The first two came in the quarterfinals of Stuttgart which Li won, and the quarterfinals of Beijing which Kvitová won, the latter in three sets. In their final meeting, the semifinals of the WTA Tour Championships, Li saw off Kvitová in straight sets. Li then retired in August 2014.

Kvitová vs. Venus Williams

Kvitová and Venus Williams have met seven times with Kvitová currently leading the head-to-head 4–3. All of their encounters have gone to a decider. Their first meeting came in 2008 in the opening round at Memphis where Kvitová shocked then-eighth-ranked Williams for her maiden top-10 career win. Williams exacted revenge four years later in the opening round of the Miami Open. Kvitová subsequently went on a three-match winning streak – in the Tokyo semifinals in 2013, the second round of Doha and the third round of the Wimbledon Championships, the latter two in 2014.
Their two most recent meetings have come in the United States, with Williams emerging victorious in both encounters, the 2017 US Open quarterfinals, and the second round of the 2019 Indian Wells Open. At Indian Wells, Williams came back from a set and double break deficit to win the match.

Kvitová vs. Barty

Kvitová and Ashleigh Barty have met nine times, with Kvitová currently leading the head-to-head 5–4, in what has been described as "the best rivalry at the moment on the WTA Tour". They first met in 2012 at the French Open where, in her maiden Grand Slam main draw appearance, Barty was soundly defeated in straight sets. The pair's next clash came more than five years later, in 2017, in the final of Birmingham where Kvitová came back from a set down to claim the title, before replicating a similar victory in the Sydney final in 2019 to lift the title. They met once more two weeks later in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open where Kvitová moved past Barty in straight sets.
Barty then went on to record her first win against Kvitová two months later in the quarterfinals of the Miami Open. She then went on to record a further three consecutive victories – in the quarterfinals of the 2019 China Open, in the round-robin stage of the 2019 WTA Finals, and in the quarterfinals of the 2020 Australian Open, a rematch of their quarterfinal clash here a year ago, the latter two in straight sets. Their most recent encounter came in the semifinals of the Qatar Open, where Kvitová snapped the losing streak, recording her fifth win over Barty in the process.

Personal life

In the past, Kvitová was in relationship with Czech tennis players Adam Pavlásek and later Radek Štěpánek. She then began dating Czech hockey player Radek Meidl in June 2014. In December 2015, it was officially announced by the Czech media that the couple were engaged. The news was subsequently confirmed by both Meidl and Kvitová. The couple split in May 2016.

Home invasion and robbery

On 20 December 2016, Kvitová 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. 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, Kvitová revealed that she had regained movement in her left hand.
In early January 2017, it was reported that Kvitová's recovery was going according to plan, and that she had gradually begun doing exercises with her injured fingers. Moreover, her local tennis club offered a reward amounting $3850 for information leading to the whereabouts of her attacker. About two weeks later, Kvitová revealed on social media that all stitches on her wounds had been removed. Later that month, Czech police revealed during an update briefing on the ongoing investigation that Kvitová was slashed as part of a blackmail plot.
By March 2017, Kvitová 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. In early May, more than four months into recovery, it was revealed that Kvitová had returned to the practice courts.
On 23 May 2017, Kvitová announced that she would play the Wimbledon Championships the following month, and would make a last-minute decision, later in the week, on whether to compete at the French Open. Kvitová subsequently confirmed her participation at the latter event, thus marking her return to competition where she defeated American Julia Boserup in her opening match.
Almost a year after the attack, on 16 November 2017, Czech police announced that they had shelved investigations on the attack since they had still not identified the attacker. Then, in May 2018, it was revealed that a suspect had been taken into custody. More than five months later, a Czech state prosecutor revealed that an unnamed 33-year-old man had been charged with assault over a knife attack on a woman in Prostějov on 20 December 2016, which matched the date and location of Kvitová's attack.
The following year, on 6 February 2019, at a Czech regional court in Brno, Kvitová testified at the trial of the man charged with the alleged assault on her. Then, on 26 March 2019, Žondra was sentenced by the court to eight years in jail. On 8 January 2020, an appeals court raised the sentence to 11 years, the verdict final.

Endorsements

Kvitová 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 organisation which focuses on using sports and games to educate and empower children facing adversity, named Kvitová as its Global Athlete Ambassador in January 2015. Three months later, it was announced that Kvitová had signed a multi-year contract with Beverly Hills-based watchmaker, Ritmo Mundo. In June 2016, Czech jewelry manufacturer ALO Diamonds entered Kvitová's list of endorsements after both parties signed a one-year deal. In May 2018, it was revealed by Kvitová that she has joined TAG Heuer as an ambassador.
Kvitová was named world's sixth highest-paid female athlete by Forbes in 2015, ranking fifth among tennis players.

Career statistics

Grand Slam performance timelines

Singles

Doubles

Tournament2008200920102011SRW–L
Australian OpenA1R1R2R0 / 31–3
French OpenAA2RA0 / 11–1
Wimbledon1RA1R1R0 / 30–3
US Open1R1R1RA0 / 30–3
Win–Loss0–20–21–41–20 / 102–10

Grand Slam tournament finals

Singles: 3 (2 titles, 1 runner-up)

Year-end championship finals

Singles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)

Records

Awards

;2010
;2011
;2012
;2013
;2014
;2015
;2016
;2017
;2018
;2019