TWO-TIME Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova says she is “fortunate to be alive” after fending off a knife attack in her own home.
The 26-year-old is seeing a specialist to determine the extent of a hand injury sustained defending herself during a robbery in her apartment in Prostejove, Czech Republic.
The two-time Wimbledon champion injured her racket-holding left hand in the assault, which saw cash totalling5,000 Czech Koruna about £155 stolen, according to sport.cz.
“I am shaken, but fortunate to be alive,” Kvitova wrote on Facebook. “The injury is severe and I will need to see specialists, but if you know anything about me I am strong and I will fight this.”
After thanking fans for messages of support, Kvitova thanked supporters for their messages, described the attack and that her left hand was injured as she defended herself.“Thank you for all your heartwarming messages,” she added. “As you may have already heard, today I was attacked in my apartment by an individual with a knife.
“In my attempt to defend myself, I was badly injured on my left hand.”
“Thank you all again for your love and support and now I would appreciate some privacy.”
Her publicist Karel Tejkal said it was not a targeted attack.
He told sport.cz: “It is apparently a random criminal act, Petra is now in the care of doctors.”
Kvitova has now gone to Brno Trauma Hospital for assessment of her injuries.
Fellow Czech player Lucie Safarova, speaking at an event which Kvitova had been due to attend, told Czech public radio: “Things like that are shocking to us all. It could happen to any one of us.”
Earlier yesterday, Kvitova announced on Twitter she would be missing January’s Hopman Cup in Perth, Australia, as she continues to recover from a foot injury.
The Australian Open begins in Melbourne on January 16 and her participation could be in doubt, particularly following yesterday’s events.
Kvitova has two grand slam titles, winning Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014. She has a career total of 19 WTA singles titles, with career prize money of more than $22.8million. She is currently ranked 11th in the world.
Previous attacks on tennis stars include the stabbing of Monica Seles on court in Hamburg in 1993, resulting in a two-year absence from the sport.
Russian Anna Chakvetadze was assaulted with her family in their home in Moscow in 2007. She retired in 2013, aged 26.
Chakvetadze told the New York Times she was “very upset” when she heard of the attack on Kvitova.
“I got an arm nerve injury after they tied it up with TV cable, and it took one month to feel my arm again,” Chakvetadze said. “With a knife, it’s even worse. I hope she will recover as soon as possible.”
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