After 17 months away, Petra Kvitova returns with a new reason to compete

Over the years — even as an athletic icon — there were times when traveling the world lost some of its luster.

“Sometimes,” Petra Kvitova said Sunday evening from Austin, “when you are at the tournaments and you’re not playing tennis, you can be a little bit bored. Or thinking too much about the mental side of tennis, being sad you are away from home — this is different.

“You have a kid and a husband with you. I couldn’t leave him at home — I would miss him. It’s just more of a family life, I would say — not just tennis, tennis, tennis.”

Yes, the latest iteration of the two-time Wimbledon champion includes husband/coach Jiri Vanek and seven-month-old son Petr. During this United States swing, Kvitova’s brother, Libor, is helping out in the child-care department.

After a 17-month maternity leave, Kvitova will step on the court in Austin on Tuesday. She’ll face Jodie Burrage of Great Britain, currently ranked No. 189, at the ATX Open, hosted by the Westwood Country Club. The top two seeds are Jessica Pegula and Diana Shnaider.

It’s been uncommonly cold in Texas, but when the first round of qualifying was postponed, Kvitova wasn’t fazed. Coming from the Czech Republic, she said, it was just as cold — and snowing.

Her last match was in the fall of 2023 at the China Open in Beijing, a second-round loss to Liudmila Samsonova. At the time, Kvitova told wtatennis.com, she was leaning toward retirement at the age of 33.

Kvitova didn’t pick up a racquet during the first trimester, but when the second arrived, she felt confident enough to do some running, exercising and light hitting. Petr was born on July 7, 2024, via c-section, which meant another three to four months without stepping on the court.

“You can’t imagine how it will be until you have a baby,” Kvitova said, sounding emotional. “It’s very difficult to describe.

“Coming from you, somebody else on this earth — you can give the life to somebody else. I think it’s … a miracle.”

The former World No. 2 has already done virtually everything there is to do in tennis. She was the Wimbledon champion in 2011 and 2014, won 31 singles titles, more than $37 million and 600-plus matches.

Gradually, the idea of a comeback came into her mind. She was encouraged by the success of Elina Svitolina and Naomi Osaka last year, as well as her good friend Belinda Bencic, who has already swiftly reasserted herself this season. Bencic has won 12 of 15 matches, reached the fourth round at the Australian Open and won the title in Abu Dhabi.

“Those girls are pretty young still — of course, I would say my age is different,” Kvitova said. “But we are used to working hard. Even after pregnancy and giving birth we know what to do — and we’re willing to do it. When you already played well before, you want to be back where you belong, basically.

“Belinda and I are in touch, for sure, and it’s nice she’s playing so well. Her daughter [Bella] is like two-and-a-half months older than our Petr, so that’s fun. She just showed us that it’s possible, coming back after giving birth. That’s a good sign.”

Kvitova, along with seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams, has accepted a wild card into the main draw at next month’s BNP Paribas Open. She’s planning to play at the Miami Open and then sit down with her husband and figure out the clay season. With her big left-handed serve and flat, powerful groundstrokes, she’s not “a fan of clay,” but knows she’ll need some matches heading into the grass-court season that is her real focus.

She has no great expectations.

“I don’t expect anything, basically,” said Kvitova, who turns 35 in two weeks. “I’m here — that’s already a big deal for me. Sometimes I’m really surprised by myself. Like, why I did it [the comeback]? But I think I would have regretted it if I didn’t come back

“I’m not putting any goals on myself, I will never play as good as I was playing when I was winning tournaments. Yeah, we’ll see. I want to enjoy myself playing tennis, and I think it will take time.”

She’s back playing for one reason.

“I tried to explain to everybody that I came back because I love it,” Kvitova said. “I miss tennis, I love tennis itself since I was four. So I think the love for the sport took me back to tennis. I missed the hard work, the sweat, that’s why I’m here.

“I don’t know for how long, or how long I’m going to enjoy it or how my body’s going to feel. I think it will be very tough in the beginning. But we’ll see how I manage everything. We’ll see how it goes.”