Petra Kvitová

Early life

Petra Kvitová was born to Jiří Kvita, a schoolteacher and Pavla Kvitová in Bílovec, Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic (in 1990, still Czechoslovakia). She has two elder brothers, Jiří, an engineer, and Libor, a schoolteacher. Her father Jiří introduced her to tennis. During her childhood, she admired Czech American player Martina Navratilova. Kvitová trained in her 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.

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 discipline respectively. Kvitová's lone Grand Slam tournament 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 ECM Prague Open, but she lost in the second round of qualifying to Ekaterina Ivanova. She then made her debut appearance in the main draw of a WTA tournament came at the 2007 Nordea 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 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. There, 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, up 108 places.

Kvitová started 2009 impressively, reaching her first ever final at the Moorilla 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 first-round losses in the Australian Open, the Open GdF Suez and Dubai Tennis Championships, she reached the third round in BNP Paribas Open, losing to eventual champion Vera Zvonareva. She withdrew from the 2009 French Open due to an ankle injury and lost in the first round of Wimbledon. At the US Open, she defeated then-world number 1 Dinara Safina in the third round in three sets, 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 Generali Ladies Linz, Kvitová made her second final of the year, losing in straight sets to Wickmayer once again.

In 2010, Kvitová reached the semifinals of the Cellular South Cup once again, losing to eventual champion Maria Sharapova. She went on to reach the semifinals of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, defeating Sorana Cîrstea, Zheng Jie, Victoria Azarenka, Caroline Wozniacki, and Kaia Kanepi, before losing to defending and eventual champion Serena Williams, in straight sets. She was then guaranteed to crack the top 30 rankings for the first time. However, after Wimbledon, she suffered five consecutive first round defeats in her next five tournaments before breaking a six-match losing streak at the US Open. There she defeated Lucie Hradecká andElena 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 Andrea Petkovic in the final, and also earning wins over third seed Nadia Petrova and fifth seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. With the win, she achieved the ranking of world no. 28. Kvitová was the 25th seed at the Australian Open, where she lost in the quarterfinals to Vera Zvonareva. She had defeated world no. 5 Samantha Stosur and Flavia Pennetta en route. Her strong run ensured that she would reach a new ranking of 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 last four. In Paris, 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. The following week, she suffered a first round 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 Sony Ericsson Open, Kvitová defeated Varvara Lepchenko in the second round after having a first round bye but then lost her next match to Pavlyuchenkova. In the Fed Cup semifinals, she led the Czech team into the final round, 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, defeating Alexandra Dulgheru, Chanelle Scheepers and second seed Vera Zvonareva to reach the last eight. She then overcame Dominika Cibulková, 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 the Rome, Kvitová moved one place up to no. 9. She played another ITF tournament at her home country in Prague, 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 leading 3–0 in the deciding set.

Kvitová played a warm-up tournament for Wimbledon at Eastbourne, she reached the final where she lost to Marion Bartoli in three sets. Kvitová won her first Grand Slam title, as the eighth seed, at the Wimbledon Championships. She defeated Alexa Glatch, Anne Keothavong, 29th seed Roberta Vinci, 19th seed Yanina Wickmayer, 32nd seed Tsvetana Pironkova, and fourth seed Azarenka on the way to the final, where she beat fifth seed Maria Sharapova in straight sets. She became the first left-handed female player to win the singles title since Martina Navratilova in 1990, 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 Rogers Cup in Toronto where she defeated Anabel Medina Garrigues before losing to Petkovic in third round. The following week at the Western & Southern Open, she once again lost to Petkovic in the same round, having defeated Chanelle Scheepers before that. She was then upset by Alexandra Dulgheru at the US Open, becoming the first Grand Slam champion to lose in the first round of the following Grand Slam without winning a set.

Kvitová's form improved at the Toray Pan Pacific Open, where she reached the semifinals, losing to Zvonareva, thus achieving the world no. 5 ranking and qualifying for the WTA Tour Championships for the first time. However, the following week, she suffered another opening round loss to Sofia Arvidsson at the China Open in three sets. At the Generali Ladies Linz, she defeated Rebecca Marino, Patricia Mayr-Achleitner, Daniela Hantuchová and Janković on the way to the final where she overcame Cibulková to collect her fifth title of the season.

At the WTA Tour Championships in Istanbul, third-seeded Kvitová emerged champion, becoming the third player to win the title on debut. During the round-robin stage, she defeated Zvonareva, Caroline Wozniacki, and Agnieszka Radwańska in straight sets, putting her through to the semifinals. Her next opponent was Samantha 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 team win its maiden Fed Cup title as an independent nation by winning her singles rubbers against Maria Kirilenko and Svetlana Kuznetsova. In the end, the Czechs emerged victorious against Russia 3−2. She was named WTA Player of the Year, WTA Most Improved Player of the Year and ITF Women's World Champion. 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 and ranking points in Brisbane, choosing instead to participate in the Hopman Cup with Tomáš Berdych. The pair went on to win the title, defeating France in the final. She won all of her singles matches at the event, defeating Tsvetana Pironkova, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Caroline Wozniacki, and Marion Bartoli. Her next tournament was the Apia International Sydney, where she lost in the semifinals to Li Na. If Kvitová had won that semifinal match, she would have been the new world no. 1, but pressure blocked her. Because of this, at the Australian Open, Kvitová the second seed, was the favourite for the title. She defeated Vera Dushevina, Carla Suárez Navarro, Maria Kirilenko, Ana Ivanovic, and Sara Errani to advance to the semifinals, where she lost in three sets to Maria Sharapova, having been a break up in the third set.

She continued her long run of wins in singles matches indoors (32 straight matches) with her four victories in Fed Cup against Germany and Italy, scoring hard-fought wins over Julia Görges, Sabine Lisicki, Francesca Schiavone, and Sara 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 losing in three sets to Venus Williams. The following month in Stuttgart, she convincingly defeated Francesca Schiavone and Angelique Kerber to reach the semifinals where she lost to Sharapova in a tight two-setter. At the Mutua Madrid Open she was the defending champion, but lost in the second round to compatriot Lucie Hradecká. At her next clay-court tournament in Rome, she advanced to the quarterfinals where she fell to Angelique 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, the eventual champion.

As the fourth seed at Wimbledon, Kvitová defeated Akgul Amanmuradova, Elena Baltacha and Varvara Lepchenko to reach the round of 16. She then beat Francesca 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. Kvitová competed at the Summer Olympics for the Czech Republic for the first time. 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 Maria Kirilenko in straight sets.

Kvitová kickstarted her US Open Series campaign by winning the Rogers Cup in Montréal, Canada by defeating Marion Bartoli in the third round, Tamira Paszek in the quarterfinals, Wozniacki in the semifinals and Li in the final, ending a 10-month-long title draught. It was her eighth career title and she logged in her first two top 10 wins of the year over Bartoli and Wozniacki in the tournament. She then played the Western & Southern Open where she reached the semifinals losing to Kerber once again. She won her second title of the year in New Haven and the ninth of her career, where she defeated Lucie Šafářová in the quarterfinals, Sara Errani in the semifinals and Kirilenko in the final. She also secured the US Open Series crown after her quarterfinal win over Šafářová. 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 lost then to Bartoli in three sets.

During the Asian swing, Kvitová did not enjoy much success as she lost in the second round at Tokyo and the 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 at 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 series through Lucie Šafářová.

2013: Mixed results and late-season revival

Kvitová began 2013 at the Brisbane International as the sixth seed but lost to eventual finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the second round. She then lost opener in Sydney in the hands of Dominika Cibulková in straight sets. Kvitová was seeded eighth at the Australian Open. She moved past former French Open champion Francesca Schiavone in the first round in three sets. She then suffered another early exit, succumbing to Laura Robson in the second round. Kvitová was then awarded a wildcard into the Open GdF Suez. Seeded second, she reached the quarterfinals but lost to Kristina Mladenovic in straight sets.In the opening round of the Fed Cup, the Czech team faced Australia and 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 team advanced to the semifinals with a 4–0 scoreline.

Kvitová won her first title of the year, and a milestone 10th of her career, in Dubai, having never won a match an the tournament prior. She defeated the likes of Ana Ivanovic, Agnieszka Radwańska, Caroline Wozniacki and Sara Errani en route. This was followed by a quarterfinal appearance at the Qatar Total Open where she lost to Serena Williams in three sets, thus allowing Williams to regain the world no. 1 ranking which she has held on to ever since. She then reached her first ever quarterfinal at the BNP Paribas 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 an upset in the hands of Kirsten Flipkens in the third round of Miami.

Kvitová started her clay court season by reaching the final in Katowice as the top seed where she was upset by second seed Roberta Vinci in straight sets. During the Fed Cup semifinal tie where they faced Italy, Kvitová once again lost her first match to Vinci but then managed to overcome Errani in three sets. Nevertheless, the Czech team exited the tournament at that stage. After that, she played in Stuttgart, beating Annika Beck and Julia Görges before losing to Li Na in the quarterfinals. Kvitová's struggles on clay continued in Madrid, where she lost to wildcard Daniela Hantuchová in the second round. In Rome, after a bye in the first round, she struggled past Sabine Lisicki before losing to Samantha Stosur. At the French Open, Kvitová the seventh seed 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 but lost to Yanina Wickmayer in her opening match. Kvitová, seeded eighth, reached the quarterfinals at 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 Suárez Navarro but then lost to eventual semifinalist Flipkens.

During the US Open Series, Kvitová reached the last eight of the Southern California Open after seeing off Robson but fell short to Virginie Razzano. She was the defending champion at the Rogers Cup and defeated Eugenie Bouchard and Stosur to reach the quarterfinals but failed to defend her title when she fell to eventual finalist Sorana Cîrstea in three sets. At the Western & Southern Open, she lost to Wozniacki in the third round. Kvitová was the defending champion in New Haven and she 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 Toray Pan Pacific Open, Kvitová the seventh seed reached the quarterfinals after defeating a pair of youngsters Belinda Bencic and Madison Keys in straight sets. Then, she overcame Svetlana Kuznetsova and Venus Williams to reach the final where she defeated German Angelique Kerber for her second title of 2013, her 11th career title overall. She then defeated Li Na in the quarterfinals of the China Open before losing to Jelena Janković in the semifinals. As a result of her strong results in Asia, she successfully qualified for the WTA Tour Championships on 7 October. As the fifth seed, she made 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, Pironkova went on to win the title. 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 scheduld to play at the Open GdF Suez but prior to her opening match because of a respiratory illness. Because of this, she was unable to compete in Fed Cup opening round tie against Spain. At the Qatar Total Open, the third-seeded Kvitová cruised into the quarterfinals with two tough three-set victories over Venus Williams and Šafářová before falling to Jelena Janković. At the Dubai Tennis Championships, she failed to defend her title when she lost her opening match to Carla Suárez Navarro after receiving a first round bye. Next, Kvitová played in Indian Wells where she was the eighth seed. She beat Coco Vandeweghe and Svetlana Kuznetsova before losing in the fourth round to Dominika Cibulková. In Miami, she was seeded eighth again and defeated Paula Ormaechea, Donna Vekić and 12th seed Ana Ivanovic to reach her first quarterfinal at the event. There, she fell to fourth seed Maria Sharapova in straight sets.

At the Fed Cup semifinal tie against Italy, Kvitová dispatched off both Camila Giorgi and Roberta Vinci in straight sets, sending the Czech team into their third final in the last four years. Kvitová began her clay court campaign at Stuttgart, losing to Alisa Kleybanova in her opening match. At the Mutua 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 three sets. Kvitová then loss 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 Svetlana Kuznetsova in a marathon three-setter.

During the grasscourt 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 her second Grand Slam final. She defeated Eugenie Bouchard in straight sets to win her second Wimbledon title, she rose to world no. 4 as a result, returning to the top 5 for the first time since 2012.

Kvitová began the US Open Series at the Rogers Cup in Montréal 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, the third-seeded Kvitová received a first round bye and faced Elina Svitolina in her opener but lost to the Ukrainian in straight sets. At the Connecticut Open where she was the second seed, 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 survive past the second round. In the quarterfinals, she faced Záhlavová-Strýcová in a rematch of their Wimbledon quarterfinal and won in straight sets. She then went on to defeat Samantha Stosur to reach her third consecutive final in New Haven. She won the title defeating Slovak 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, the third-seeded Kvitová cruised into the third round on an upset-filled day, defeating Karin Knapp in straight sets. She then defeated fellow Czech Karolína Plíšková for a place in the last eight where she overcame Caroline Garcia. In the semifinal, Kvitová avenged her loss to Svitolina earlier in Cincinnati by defeating her in straight sets to reach the final where she beat Bouchard in straight sets to claim her 14th career title. With the win, 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. Kvitová continued the Asian swing at the China Open where she was seeded third. She defeated Peng in her opening match and advanced to the quarterfinals after Venus Williams conceded a walkover. Kvitová then beat Roberta Vinci and Stosur to reach her fourth final of the season, where she lost to Sharapova in three sets.

Kvitová then played the WTA Finals in Singapore as the third seed. In her first match, she was upset by Agnieszka Radwańska in straight sets. Kvitová then recorded a straight-set victory over Sharapova, ending a five-match losing streak against her but she lost her bid to qualify for the semifinals when she succumbed to Caroline Wozniacki in her last round robin match. 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 thrilling three sets. In the end, Czech Republic clinched its third Fed Cup title in four years. Kvitová received two awards in 2014, the Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award and the Diamond Aces Award.

2015: Mixed fortunes and coping with mononucleosis

Kvitová kicked off 2015 in Shenzhen as the second seed. She lost to eighth seed Timea Bacsinszky in the semifinals. Kvitová was the second seed at 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 in straight sets, and went on to defeat fellow Czech Karolína Plíšková in the final, also in straight sets. It was her 15th career title. 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 to Carla Suárez Navarro in the third round and quarterfinals respectively. Kvitová subsequently withdrew from Indian Wells and Miami, citing exhaustion as the reason.

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. Kvitová then lost her opening match at Stuttgart to Madison Brengle. At the Mutua Madrid Open, Kvitová fought through to the quarterfinals with wins over Olga Govortsova, Coco Vandeweghe and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. She advanced to the semifinals for the second straight year after dispatching Irina-Camelia Begu in straight sets to set up a clash with world no. 1 Serena Williams. She had not beaten Williams in five previous attempts but upset her 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 the fourth seed cruised into the last eight where she lost to Suárez Navarro once again. At the French Open where she was seeded fourth, she advanced to fourth round by defeating 30th seed Begu in straight sets. This marked the first time Kvitová successfully advanced to the fourth round of a Grand Slam outside of Wimbledon since the 2012 US Open. However, 24th seed Bacsinszky ended Kvitová's run, defeating her in three sets. 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 behind Serena Williams, 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 for the third time this season. 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 she was cleared to compete. During the US Open Series, Kvitová dropped her openers in Toronto and Cincinnati to Victoria Azarenka and Caroline Garcia respectively. 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 successfully defended a title for the first time. 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 US Open quarterfinal after seeing off qualifier Johanna Konta. However, she fell short to 26th seed and eventual champion Flavia Pennetta in three sets. Nevertheless, Kvitová had completed the feat of reaching at least the quarterfinals of all four Grand Slams after.

The Asian swing was not a successful one for Kvitová as she lost early in Wuhan and Beijing to Roberta Vinci and Sara Errani respectively. Kvitová successfully qualified for the WTA Finals on 14 October and was the fourth seed at the event. She lost her round robin matches to Angelique Kerber and Garbiñe Muguruza but scored a win over Šafářová. She however managed to secure a semifinal spot where she defeated Maria Sharapova in straight sets to advance to her second final at the Championships. She lost to Radwańska in the final in three tight sets. Kvitová finished the year as world no. 6. She participated in the Fed Cup final, going 1–1 in her singles matches, the Czechs defending their title in the end by winning the decisive doubles rubber. Once again, Kvitová 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. At the Fed Cup opening round tie against Romania, for the first time, she lost both her singles rubbers. However, the Czech team cruised into the semifinals with the score 3–2. At the BNP Paribas Open, the eighth-seeded 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 at the Stuttgart, she made her first semifinal at the tournament since 2012 where she lost to eventual champion Angelique Kerber. Howevered, she crashed out 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 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, making it her earliest exit at the tournament since 2009.

Kicking off the US Open Series in Montreal as the 12th seed, Kvitová made the round of 16 where she lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova in straight sets. At the Summer Olympics, the 11th-seeded Kvitová defeated the likes of Tímea Babos and Caroline Wozniacki and then avenged her earlier two losses to Makarova to make her second consecutive Olympic quarterfinal where she beat Elina Svitolina in straight sets. She came up short to eventual gold medallist Mónica Puig in the semifinals, but defeated Madison Keys in the bronze medal match to win her first ever Olympic medal. Hence, Kvitová became the first Czech player of either gender to win an Olympic medal in the singles discipline since Jana Novotná in 1996. She was the two-time defending champion in New Haven and reached the semifinals where she faced Radwańska but saw her title defence come to an end when she lost to the Pole for the third time in a row. As the 14th seed at the US Open, where for the first time since the 2011 Australian Open, Kvitová is 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 both she and coach Čermák have gone separate ways.

Kvitová began the Asian swing in Tokyo with an early loss to Puig in the second round. Seeded 14th in Wuhan, she sailed past Ostapenko and Svitolina in straight sets for a place in the round of 16. There, she scored her fourth win over a reigning world no. 1 when she defeated Kerber in three sets, a match that lasted three hours and 19 minutes, also the longest match of Kvitová's career. In the quarterfinals, she beat Konta and then went on to score her first win over Halep in the last four 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 made the quarterfinals of the China Open but came up short to Keys. This loss ended Kvitová's hopes of qualifying for the WTA Finals, having recorded five straight appearances at the event dating back to 2011. Kvitová then made the final at the BGL Luxembourg Open as the top seed but fell to Niculescu in straight sets.

Despite not making the cut for the WTA Finals, Kvitová successfully qualified for the WTA Elite Trophy. As the third seed, she was drawn into the same group as Roberta Vinci and Strýcová and defeated 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 the team which 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: Recovery from hand surgery

During the off-season in 2016, Kvitová announced Jiří Vaněk as her new coach going into 2017. However, shortly before Christmas, she suffered a robbery at her home in the Czech Republic, getting her left hand stabbed with a knife. She will spend at least the first six months of the year recovering from the injuries, thus ruling her out of all tournaments in that period. An exact date has yet to be determined for her return to competition.

Playing style

Kvitová uses the pinpoint service stance and is known for her fast and well-placed serves. Given her advantage 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. Forehand-wise, she prefers to take the ball early, thus allowing her to produce down-the-line winners effectively. With regards to her backhand, she utilises 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.

Kvitová also possesses notable amount of variety in her game. Her volleys tend to come more from her forehand which is the stronger side and she executes it 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. Most notably of late, Kvitova has been struggling against defensive players, most notably Agnieszka Radwańska and among others 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 and can outhit any woman on tour as seen in the final of the 2015 Mutua Madrid Open against Svetlana Kuznetsova where she hit 33 winners in the 66-minute contest, an average of a winner every two minutes.

Personal life

Kvitová began dating Czech hockey player Radek Meidl in June 2014. In December 2015, it was officially announced by the Czech media that the couple was 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 ligaments on her left hand and fingers. The attacker left with $192 worth of cash and is suspected to be a male in his mid-thirties. She successfully underwent surgery to repair the damage to her hand, and planned 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 she gradually began 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, who still remains at large. About two weeks later, Kvitová revealed on social media that all stitches on her wounds have 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.

Three months into recovery Kvitová regained the use of her left hand, and began using it for daily activities without any complications. Her psychological recovery is also on track, and she completed fitness training in the Canary Islands. However, an exact date has yet to be set for her return to competition.

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.

Kvitová was named world's sixth highest-paid female athlete by Forbes in 2015, ranking fifth among tennis players.

Awards