Czech tennis says 2016 altercation with intruder comes back to haunt her even today and at times, while on court
Petra Kvitova
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It's over a year since Czech tennis ace Petra Kvitova was stabbed by a knife-wielding attacker at her apartment in Prostejov, just before Christmas in 2016, but she still gets flashbacks of the unfortunate incident, and sometimes while on court. "I still have the flashbacks sometimes. Unfortunately, it [knife attack] will probably be there with me forever. Sometimes it happens on the court, sometimes when I'm with my family, sometimes when I'm alone somewhere, maybe in my apartment," Kvitova wrote in her column on playersvoice.com.au.
The two-time Wimbledon champion suffered tendon and nerve injuries to her left hand and underwent surgery before returning at last year's French Open. There were times though when she feared she would never be able to play tennis again. "After my surgery, I had negative moods where I didn't believe I could come back. I thought I'd never play tennis again," she writes, adding that the players helped her get back on court. "The players were very nice. I saw a beautiful video they sent wishing me well. And even coming back at the French Open, most of them hugged me and cried. It was nice to see that we are like a family."
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