Kvitova, in the eyes of Navratilova

Fernando Murciego | 21 Jun 2025 | 11.30

Petra Kvitova, under the watchful eye of Martina Navratilova. Source: Getty

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The career of Petra Kvitova will come to a halt after the upcoming Wimbledon tournament, a legendary journey of twenty seasons that will close the curtain in the place where she soared highest. Unforgettable were her titles on the grass of The Cathedral in 2011 and 2014, pinnacle moments where her presence gained more prominence within the circuit. It was precisely at Wimbledon where Martina Navratilova also left her mark for eternity with multiple Grand Slams across all categories. In light of such news, the 68-year-old legend had genuine words on WTA towards her compatriot.

"Of all the tournaments she played, the place where she most certainly left her mark is Wimbledon, where she holds a great record and delivered remarkable performances in the finals. Her left-handed serve always aided her, considering that on grass the ball spins much more when you target your opponent's backhand. Besides the serve, she possessed other massive shots, knew how to volley, take the ball early, and move forward to the net," wrote the individual 18-time Grand Slam champion, nine of them on the London grass.

"Certainly, Petra may not have been the fastest player, but she was quick enough to set up for every shot on a surface as demanding as grass. She was unpredictable but had all the shots: forehand down the line, cross-court forehand, backhand down the line, cross-court backhand, even employing the slice when necessary. She dominated like few others but without losing finesse, encompassing all elements," added Navratilova, a respected voice in tennis history who has been observing this sport for almost six decades.

And let's not forget the incident in 2016, where a thief stabbed her hand, leaving her professional career hanging by a thread. Yet, she persevered through her passion and attitude that never allowed her to give up. Navratilova also recalled that event. "That incident was incredible because, to this day, Petra acknowledges that she still lacks complete sensation in her hand. I have a wedding ring on my ring finger that I always move to my right hand because I don't feel the racket the same way, simply because of the ring, so I take it off. To have no feeling in the last two fingers of the left hand... well, I can't even imagine what it must be like to compete like that," she expressed, impressed.

A REASONABLE COMPARISON

Kvitova and Navratilova, two unique players who share origin, profession... and not much else. We can't discuss their achievements nor perhaps their style, although some dare to draw similarities between them. In this case, Martina sheds light on whether Petra, if it were true, tried at any point in her career to replicate the magic that Navratilova spread on the tennis courts for over thirty years.

"I don't believe she was consciously trying to mimic me, but it's true that she always took some aspects that she could later apply to her game, which she did wonderfully. She won two Grand Slams and almost reached world No. 1, her resume is outstanding, so I am happy for her. If we had coincided during the same era, for sure I wouldn't have wanted to compete against her. I greatly admire her and her career; now she can finally relax and not have to stress anymore," she concluded.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Kvitova, en los ojos de Navratilova