The desert sands of the United Arab Emirates are a long way from the green
grass of Wimbledon, but for Petra Kvitova there is a clear connection. Life has
not always been easy for the 22-year-old Czech since her memorable triumph at
the All England Club two years ago, but victory here in the Dubai Duty Free
Championships – her first tournament wins for more than six months – was a
reminder of the level of tennis of which she is capable.
Even though this tournament is played on hard courts, the speed of the
playing surface at the Aviation Club brought the best out of Kvitova, just as
the slick grass did at Wimbledon two summers ago.
A week after going close to denying Serena Williams the victory she needed
in Doha to reclaim the world No.1 ranking, she overcame a challenging draw to
win the 10th title of her career, beating Daniela Hantuchova, Ana Ivanovic,
Agnieszka Radwanska, Caroline Wozniacki and Sara Errani. If the speed of the
courts suited Kvitova, in other respects the conditions were tough, with
temperatures approaching 30C under the fierce desert sun and an occasional
stiff breeze.
she is clearly a big-occasion player. All but two of the titles she has won
have been at either Grand Slam or Premier level, the Premier tournaments being
the eight most important events on the Women’s Tennis Association tour.
Asked if she felt that Wimbledon would be her best chance of winning another
Grand Slam title this year, she said: “Well I love Wimbledon, so I hope so. I
love to play on the grass, and for me Wimbledon is always special
The one significant weakness in the Czech’s game until now has been her
movement, but she has embarked on a new training programmed designed to
strengthen her legs. She admits her body has been “confused” by the change, but
after a scratchy start to the year, including a second-round defeat at the
Australian Open, the new regime seems to be working.
The win moved Kvitova up a place to No.7 in the world rankings. In the
longer term – and with this year’s Championships at Wimbledon less than four
months away – the victory could soon have even more significance.
Click here to see Wimbledon tickets........
