Czech Petra Kvitova won its first match since 2023, and on Tuesday, the Italian Open in Rome beat Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu 7-5, 6-1.
Once upon a time in the world – this was October 31, 2011 – currently after getting 18 months leave for pregnancy and birth, the number 830 is a player. He was 0-4 years old on his return before his match with Begu this season.
Winning Wimbledon twice more than ten years ago, 35 -year -old was both surprised and pleased with his victory in the Kil Courts in Rome.
“It’s a bit strange for the first to come here,” he said. “I’ve never played my best tennis here. But it makes you feel much better than losing, that’s certain.”
Now, for the first time since 2015, when it is on the quarter -finals, it will try to bring together two consecutive wins in Rome.
For eight years, he was removed from that tournament, walked away from tennis, felt only time.
Im I will never come back, 95 percent, dedi he said, reminding the last tournament before the birth leave – Beijing in 2023. “At that time there was enough tennis. I was like ‘I can’t do it anymore’, so we decided to try it for a baby. I didn’t say anything because it wasn’t 100 percent.”
He and his husband and coach Jiri Vanek welcomed his son Petr in last July. He was excited to play again after he arrived.
“Finally, when I could do something after pregnancy, I played some tennis – and made it feel very good,” he said. “I was laughing. Every shot I hit properly, ‘Wowwww – still there.’ Not on the legs – but sometimes very good.
Kvitova rescued five break points against Begu, which ranks 83th in the world, and transformed five. Kvitova, which was connected to 5-5 in the first set, won eight of the next nine matches to escape the match.
The next step was to increase the level of fitness, but it develops.
“I’m definitely not as much as I want to be,” he said. “But even in the applications, my game was rising.”
Kvitova will then encounter the seed Oun Jabeur number 27 from Tunisia in the second round.
Others in the second round on Tuesday were another check, Marie Bouzkova, as well as Sonay Kartal, Slovakia Rebecca Sramkova and American Peyton Stearns.
Italian Lucia Bronzetti, Spanish Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, the Netherlands’ Suzan Lamens, Romania Jaqueline Cristian and New Zealand Lulu Sun.
-FELD level media
