“All of you know that I love team competitions,” said Petra Kvitova, when discussing how thrilled she was to open 2023 at the inaugural United Cup.
“I will be in the team with Marie Bouzkova, Jessica Muchcova, and with the boys, Jiri Lehecka, Tomas Machac and Dalibor Svrcina; (it) will be very, very funny.
“I can’t wait to start the season in the team competition.”
Kvitova’s brilliance in team formats is well known.
The two-time Wimbledon champion first joined the Czech Republic’s Billie Jean King Cup squad in 2007, and helped her nation to six titles, in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2018.
The proof is in the statistics; Kvitova owns an impressive 30-10 singles win-loss record in Billie Jean King Cup play, placing her among the most prolific and successful Czech players in the competition’s history.
Known in her homeland as “The Lioness”, Kvitova will lead her country into battle in Sydney, where the Czechs will contest the group stages.
“It’s great and special when we are playing in Sydney, where I have beautiful memories from my two titles,” she said.
“I can’t wait to be there again in the Ken Rosewall Arena.”
Indeed, when playing for herself, as well as her country, she has thrived – especially in Australia.
Kvitova won the Sydney International in 2015 and 2019, the latter coming in a thrilling final before 10,000 fans against Australian great Ash Barty.
Two weeks later, Kvitova produced an emotional run to the Australian Open 2019 final, where she pushed Naomi Osaka to the brink before the Japanese star won in three compelling sets.
AO TICKETS: Catch Petra Kvitova in action at AO 2023
It was a resurgent performance on the Grand Slam stage for Kvitova, who a few years earlier feared for her life – and worried her playing career was over – when she was the victim of a home invasion.
The attacker wielded a knife which severely lacerated the fingers on her playing hand, injuries requiring hours of intricate surgery and which sidelined her for six months.
That 11-match winning run in Australia in early 2019 helped return Kvitova to a career-best ranking of world No.2, which she first attained in 2011.
But in 2022 she began to slide.
Struggling for form, she went 10-13 in the first five-and-a-half months of the season and fell to world No. 34, her lowest ranking in 11 years.
There were even some rumours circulating that she was considering retirement.
Cue another comeback.
Kvitova, at age 32, rediscovered a rich vein of form on her beloved grass, lifting the WTA Eastbourne trophy – her first title in 15 months – and reaching the third round of Wimbledon.
She notched another final in Cincinnati, progressed to the fourth round of the US Open – where she dismissed those retirement rumours – then posted a quarterfinal finish in Ostrava, concluding the season at world No.16.
The Czech’s legions of fans will be thrilled they get to see more of her awe-inspiring power in 2023.
So will her United Cup teammates, when she returns to Ken Rosewall Arena to spearhead Team Czech Republic.