By Chris Oddo | Friday September 1, 2017
The U.S. Open fortnight began with a lot of chatter about the eight women that could potentially ascend to the No.1 ranking by the end of the tournament.
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But gradually other women have emerged to grab their share of the spotlight and none of them is more deserving than No.13-seeded Petra Kvitova. The Czech, playing in just her eighth tournament since making her return from the hand surgery that resulted from a knife attack at her home in the Czech Republic last winter, has yet to drop a set in New York and moved into the round of 16 with a commanding 6-0, 6-4 win over No. 18-seeded Caroline Garcia.
Kvitova was on point from the onset, and never faced a break point over the course of the 73-minute encounter with the Frenchwoman on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Kvitova has now reached the second week at the U.S. Open three consecutive years, and her victory sets up a possible blockbuster encounter with fellow two-time major champion Garbiñe Muguruza. The No.3 seeded Spaniard will face Magdalena Rybarikova later today on Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Kvitova has reached at least the semifinals of the other three majors but has never gone past the quarterfinals in New York. But more important than the eventual result is the emotional tone that Kvitova sets whenever she takes the court these days.
Now that we've dispatched with the facts, lets dig a little deeper into the meaning and magic of Kvitova's comeback.
Kvitova seemed to view her career indifferently before the tragic interlude that has changed her perspective on life and on tennis. And through her very public struggles, fans have had updated glimpses of Kvitova’s character. We always knew that the 27-year-old was a phenomenal talent with an introverted personality. Through her very unfortunate incident the public has now become privy to the Czech’s spiritual side. Knowing what pain she has had to endure, we can now see the true, remarkable strength of Kvitova as she returns to the game, seeking solace in tennis and family and friends.
What have we learned? A lot.
Kvitova’s a brave woman with a hefty soul, and her return to tennis and quest to regain normalcy in her life, while in the public eye on the grandest stages of tennis, is easily one of the most inspiring stories of the tennis season.
Three months into her comeback, Kvitova still doesn’t have full strength or feeling in her left hand, but it seems that her heart has more than made up for any digital deficincies. She’s always been a hero. A small-town girl whose powerful tennis belied her shy sensibility as she rose to the top of the sport and became a Grand Slam legend.
Now, more than ever, she’s a hero for different reasons. The talent is a mere sliver of the equation, of what makes Kvitova an endearing athlete and a genuine role model. These days Kvitova is a magnetic vision, leading by example, enduring the most difficult of circumstances and rising above it all with a patient smile and a kind, gentle disposition.
In life, though we don’t like to admit it, we’re defined by our scars as much as our perfections. No one is immune to the undertow, the trials and tribulations that could drag us down—if we don’t choose to rise above.
Kvitova seems to know—she’s always seemed to know—that there are more terrible tragedies than hers, that there are more important things than winning or losing, that the world can be a cruel machine that never stops whirring. And yet, she’s a picture of peaceful defiance, shining a positive light into the dark, vacuous abyss that all too often sucks up the good in the world.
In Kvitova, tennis has its silent visionary. Leading by example she is showing those paying attention how to deal with tragedy.
Watching—and enjoying—Kvitova at this year’s U.S. Open is about so much more than whether or not she makes the second week, holds serve or takes out top seeds. Win or lose it’s the look in her eye before and after the battles that reminds us of how deep and meaningful this life is. It’s that gentle smile, the skyward glace and the wave to the crowd, and then her team, that says it all.