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Petra Kvitova ‘Fortunate To Be Alive’ After Being Stabbed By Burglar At Her Home In Czech Republic

By Lawrence Arboleda
Published on: 00:27 PST, Dec 20, 2016

Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova has been injured after a knife-wielding assailant attacked her in her flat in Czechoslovakia Tuesday morning.

Kvitova, 26, suffered an injury in her left hand and is undergoing medical treatment. Her injuries weren’t life-threatening, as reported by The Guardian.

Petra Kvitova’s spokesperson Karel Tejkal issued a statement about the tennis player’s condition following the knife attack.

“Petra Kvitova was attacked in her flat this morning, it was a random crime, nobody was going to attack or rob her
as Petra Kvitova,” says Tejkal.

“She was injured with a knife during the attempted burglary. Her life is not in danger, she is being treated by doctors,” she adds.

The Wimbledon champion issued a statement on her Facebook account, saying that she was “badly injured” on her left hand, but feels “fortunate to be alive.”

https://www.facebook.com/petrakvitovaofficial/posts/1348081748589234

“Thank you for all your heartwarming messages. 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. I am shaken, but fortunate to be alive. 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. Thank you all again for your love and support and now I would appreciate some privacy while I focus on my recovery.”

Further details about Kvitova’s injury will be released later on Tuesday.

Police spokesperson Frantisek Korni told VIP Sport that the burglar used a “ruse” to break into Kvitova’s home.

“Today before half past eight in the morning, a 26-year-old woman was attacked near Prostejov. The unidentified perpetrator broke into the apartment using a ruse,” he said.

Earlier today, Kvitova withdrew from the Czech Republic team for next month’s Hopman Cup mixed-team tennis tournament in Australia due to a foot injury.

She posted a tweet to update her fans about her injuries just hours before she was stabbed.

“I am so disappointed that I cannot play at the @hopmancup. The results of an MRI have confirmed that my foot is healing but…not as quickly as I would have liked. The Hopman Cup is a fantastic event and I’m sorry I won’t be able to represent my country there.”

Petra Kvitova will be replaced by three-time Grand Slam doubles champion Lucie Hradecka, who will be teaming up with Adam Pavlasek. They will be competing against Jack Sock and Coco Vandeweghe of the United States in the opening match of the tournament on January 1.

Kvitova won her first Grand Slam tournament after beating Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon in 2011. She won the Wimbledon trophy again after three years, edging out France’s Eugenie Bouchard.

It’s been a tough year injury-wise for Kvitova. Suffering from a stress fracture, she was hoping she’d be healthy enough to play the Australian Open in January next year. In light of her injuries from the knife attack, it’s looking like the chances of that ever happening have become even more remote.

The knife attack on Kvitova brings to mind a stabbing incident in April 1993 involving Monica Seles, who was knifed in the back during a changeover at a tournament in Hamburg. The man who stabbed her climbed over a courtside railing and knifed her, giving the tennis player an inch-deep slit between her shoulder blades. The attack on Seles happened around the time when her tennis career was at its peak. It wasn’t until 27 months later before Seles started playing tennis again, in which she reached the 1995 US Open Final.

Petra Kvitova, who earned the World No. 2 ranking in Women’s Tennis in 2011, is currently ranked 11th in the WTA rankings.

[Featured Image by Julian Finney/Getty Images]

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