Petra Kvitova

A star player on the scene for nearly 15 years, Petra Kvitova is a Czech tennis player known for her power and versatility.

Kvitova played tennis throughout her childhood in her hometown of Fulnek in the Czech Republic. When she was 16, one of her coaches encouraged her to pursue tennis as a career, and she began to train with David Kotyza. She had a promising few years, but shot to fame in 2009 when she beat the then-world No. 1 Dinara Safina in the third round of the US Open. The following year she came up against Serena Williams at the Wimbledon semi-finals, before her breakthrough season in 2011. She made it through to the finals of Wimbledon, beating Maria Sharapova and becoming the first Czech player to win a Grand Slam Tournament title since 1998. She then won the WTA Tour Championship in Istanbul, and was named WTA Player of the Year. Kvitova’s winning streak continued, with wins in 2012 at both the French Open and the Australian Open, as well as taking victory in the US Open series. She won Wimbledon for the second time in 2014, and qualified to compete in the 2016 Olympic Games where she took a bronze medal for her country.

Since her Olympic podium finish Kvitova’s career has gone from strength to strength, with five WTA wins in 2018, and an appearance at the Australian Open final in 2019. This well-loved player has won the Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award eight times, and is considered a seasoned veteran in the tennis world.