Kvitova positions herself as serious contender for Wimbledon crown
By winning the Berlin Open last week, the big-hitting Czech underlined her credentials as one of the favourites for Wimbledon
Petra Kvitova wins the Berlin Open 2023 title Image / Panoramic
As the new ‘Big Three’ of women’s tennis have congregated at the top of the WTA rankings, most predictions will be on one of those three to lift the title when Wimbledon begins in one week’s time.
But, just as Novak Djokovic is doing on the men’s side, perhaps an experienced member of the older generation may continue to be a thorn in the side of the younger crop of talent.
While Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina and Iga Swiatek are no doubt the finest female players on the planet right now, this does not necessarily mean they are positioned as favourites for the Wimbledon title this year.
Unique grass-court surface makes for compelling Wimbledon
For one thing, Wimbledon is arguably the most unique of the four Grand Slams because of the nature of its court surfaces.
Grass is a curious surface in that it appears to upend the usual order of things: much more so than hard or clay tournaments.
Players who have difficulty adapting to grass courts tend to really struggle, while those who are comfortable on the surface will very much thrive.
Swiatek, for example, has been the best player on the WTA for over a year now and, during a lot of that time, she was utterly unplayable. Yet she has never made it past the fourth round of Wimbledon and has never won a tour-level grass-court title (despite landing the Wimbledon Juniors title in 2018).
The big-serving power play of both Rybakina and Sabalenka lends itself well to the surface, and they are both serious contenders for the Wimbledon title. Of that there is no doubt.
Petra Kvitova a clear favourite for Wimbledon
But no one has looked more assured or more like a Wimbledon champion-in-waiting this season than Petra Kvitova.
Not only does the big-hitting Czech have a game that is tailor-made for the grass, but there is not a single active player (other than Venus Williams) who has more experience of what it takes to win Wimbledon than Kvitova does.
The world No 9 has won the Wimbledon title twice. To put that into some context, that is twice more than anyone else in the top 100.
Aside from her Wimbledon pedigree, this year Kvitova has been in brilliant form. She already has two titles to her name this season, is back inside the top 10 and has more WTA titles – 31, to be exact – than any active player (again, other than Venus Williams).
While attention may be diverted slightly higher up the rankings for possible Wimbledon winners this year, it is the powerful Czech who truly has the edge.
It is true that there was a similar sense of optimism surrounding the Kvitova camp this time last year, which was punctured in the first week of Wimbledon. The former world No 2 looked in scintillating form on her way to the title in Eastbourne in 2022, before falling in the third round to a brilliant display from Paula Badosa.
One can never predict that something similar won’t happen again, and for that reason there will be caution and realism within Kvitova’s close-knit team over the coming week.
Kvitova finding her finest form again this year
It is hard to escape the sense, though, that this season we are seeing the real Petra Kvitova once again – the same standard of player who won the title in 2011 and 2014.
The manner in which she outhit Rybakina in the Miami Open final is evidence of this. The Kazakh is nine years Kvitova’s junior, was coming off the back of winning Indian Wells (beating Swiatek and Sabalenka along the way), and possesses one of the biggest games on the tour. But the calm, calculated experience of a dialled-in Kvitova proved too much to handle for Rybakina.
Now, on the Czech’s favoured surface, it appears the red-hot form shown in Miami is back at just the right time.
Not since the devastating knife attack at the end of 2016 – an attack that severely injured her playing hand – has the tennis world truly seen the Kvitova of the early 2010s.
This year, however, something feels different.
Kvitova took the trophy in Berlin last week in some style, having not dropped a set all week, and rarely looking threatened. It all bodes well for a serious attempt at Wimbledon title number three.
Wimbledon an intriguing prospect this year
This year’s Wimbledon is a truly fascinating prospect on the women’s side, as there are a host of fine grass-courters who could lay a claim to the title.
But as each apply the finishing touches to their game plans, looking to navigate a route through the fortnight, there is no one better-equipped to make it to the finish line than the former two-time champion.
She will take some stopping at this year’s Wimbledon Championships.
