Since the dawn of Open tennis in 1968, a combined total of 51 men and women have known the singular feeling of standing alone at the end of the US Open fortnight. Fifty years, 51 champions.
Ask any of those 51 and they’ll tell you—it takes so much more than talent to win here. You need the whole package: intelligence, desire, stamina, courage. You need to own every shot in the book, and when that’s not enough, you need to be ready to write a new chapter or two. Indeed, the courts of the US Open are tennis’ ultimate proving grounds. If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.
Twelve former champions are in the field at the 2019 US Open, which figures to make adding to the total of 51 that much more difficult. But there are a number of players with the talent and tenacity to make the difficult disappear; a group which just may have the stuff to claim tennis’ toughest title. As we look forward to the 2019 US Open, USOpen.org takes a closer look at some of those players, asking the question: “Who’s 52?”
In this installment, we highlight Petra Kvitova.
Two words best sum up why lefthander Petra Kvitova has all the makings of the kind of story New Yorkers love: Grit and Game; capital "G" on both.
On the grit front, Kvitova’s backstory is remarkable. In December 2016, a knife-wielding man attacked Kvitova at her apartment in Prostejov, Czech Republic. In the process, she sustained severe cuts to the fingers and tendons of her left hand.
But Kvitova has rallied strongly from that potentially fatal horror. Back in action seven months after the incident, in only her second tournament back, Kvitova won the title in Birmingham. A year later, she’d returned to her customary spot in the Top Ten.
When it comes to game, the 29-year-old Kvitova’s prime asset is relentless firepower. At her best, Kvitova issues significant salvos from both sides, the forehand and backhand driven hard, flat, deep and, when desired, angled into the corners of the court. Her forceful groundstrokes are backed up by a superb serve, a delivery Kvitova can both curve off the court in trademark lefty style, or strike powerfully down the center.
Never has Kvitova’s skill been more vividly showcased than on the courts of the All England Club. Her first Wimbledon final came in 2011, versus the iconic Maria Sharapova. Sharapova’s resume mattered little to Kvitova, who swiftly dispatched the Russian, 6-3, 6-4. Three years later, up against the ascendant Eugenie Bouchard, Kvitova once again was ruthless. In just 55 minutes, she’d earned her second Wimbledon title, 6-3, 6-0.
Kvitova began 2019 impressively, taking the title in Sydney. Immediately after that, in Melbourne, she came painfully close to a third major singles triumph, losing a compelling Australian Open final to defending US Open champion Naomi Osaka, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-4. Showcasing her versatility, Kvitova this spring also earned a clay court championship in Stuttgart.
Altough she played just one US Open Series event, losing in the first round of Cincinnati, Kvitova nevertheless arrives in New York with high hopes. That said, while she has racked up a fine 25-11 match record at the US Open, it remains the only Slam where she has yet to reach the semis. Twice she’s reached the final eight (2015, 2017), but many times the combination of New York’s excessive heat and an inspired opponent have driven Kvitova out of the tournament earlier than anticipated. Last year was one such frustrating example. Seeded fifth, Kvitova in the third round came up against an ambitious and powerful woman from Belarus, 26th-seeded Aryna Sabalenka. After Sabalenka won a tight first set, 7-5, Kvitova withered in the second, earning just one game.
But that was then. A proven contender everywhere she plays, Kvitova is surely optimistic about her chances at the US Open. “I think I kind of formed a love for New York City,” she said during last year’s tournament. Well-liked, resilient, armed and dangerous, Kvitova indeed could be ready to tell that great New York story every player dreams of.
To read more from this series, visit our "Who's 52?" landing page.
