29 May, 2017
Kvitova is due to hold a press conference later on Friday where she will announce whether she will participate in Paris in what would be her first competitive action since suffering serious injuries to her hand when being stabbed by an intruder at her home.
Kvitova was at home in the city of Prostejov, about 160 miles east of the Czech capital Prague, when an intruder burst into her apartment at around 8:30am on the morning of December 20.
The 27-year-old will be seeded 15th thanks to her protected ranking and will start off with a first-round against USA player Julia Boserup.
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Her surgeon, Doctor Radek Kebrle, said: "The injury was horrific".
In the preceding match on Court Philippe Chatrier, Petra Kvitova was back competing in a tournament, less than six months after a knife attack at her home. "It's still not 100 percent, so we will see how everything goes, but I'm happy that I am able to play again".
"I won the match today but I knew I had already won", she added in reference to the initial nightmare scenario in which she feared she'd lose the fingers on her left playing hand.Kvitova, the 15th seed and a semi-finalist in Roland Garros in 2012, fired nine aces and 31 winners past Boserup, making her debut at the tournament at the age of 25. There were a couple of moments when she said it didn't feel quite right, but she was pain-free, the most important indicator of her progress.
"For us, it's fantastic".
"Well", Makarova said when informed of the history made by her victory, "that's unbelievable". "The prognosis was, let's just say, not optimistic".
"Thank you for everything, you helped me through this hard time". Members of her team wore T-shirts with the slogan, "Courage, belief, Pojd [Czech for "Come On"]". But of course I'm more more actively watching the people around me. "It was a nice and really heartwarming welcome". She said she can't still move them completely. "It was really special". I surprised myself with the forehand victor straightaway.
Kvitova raced into a 3-0 lead and had three break points in the fourth game before Boserup finally got on the scoreboard.
As she closed it out, she dropped her racket and turned to her support box. As she walked to the net for a handshake, her eyes welled with tears. "It's great and she's looking happy. The hand is good - and also the head", her brother Jiri said. But she is just pleased to be back on the tennis court.