Kvitova Arrives Early In Istanbul And Is Raring To Go

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 21st October 2013

Kvitova Arrives Early In Istanbul And Is Raring To Go

epa03895599 Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic returns to Na Li of China in the women's singles quarter finals at the China Open tennis tournament at the National Tennis Center in Beijing, China, 04 October 2013. EPA/ADRIAN BRADSHAW EPA/ADRIAN BRADSHAW |

Former champion Petra Kvitova was among the first to arrive for this week’s WTA Championships in Istanbul, with the Czech more than happy to be back in the thick of the wrap-up week after being unable to complete the event a year ago.

The winner of last month’s Tokyo title will be testing a back problem which forced her to withdraw from recent tournaments in Linz and Moscow.

Kvitova, the 2011 Istanbul champion told Sports Illustrated that she could not be more eager to prove herself with a solid finish to 2013. “In 2011 (in Istanbul), I was enjoying every moment on the court. I remember how I felt before my first match, and it was a really incredible feeling when I finished the tournament with the trophy. Last year was disappointing when I had to pull out because of my sickness.

“I’m looking forward to this year. It’s the last time in Istanbul and I had a great experience over there.”

Kvitova said that she has gotten used to playing three-set matches after going through 36 of them this season, coming up the winner in two-thirds of the cases. “I’m so up and down – when I play well I’m winning, and when I’m down my opponent takes her chance. But I’m always trying to fight. So probably I will not play the same level, high level the whole match, and so that creates a three-set match.”

Meanwhile, Caroline Wozniacki and Sloane Stephens claimed the alternate’s spots at the season wrap-up, with former No. 1 Wozniacki playing the event for the fourth time. It will be the first for Stephens, who made a breakthrough into the ranking top 30 this season thanks to an Australian Open semi-final and the Wimbledon quarters.

Topics: 10sballs.com, Australian Open, Caroline Wozniacki, Petra Kvitova, Sloane Stephens, Sports Illustrated, Tennis, Tennis News, Wimbledon, Wta