Petra Kvitova has withdrawn from this week’s Aegon International at Eastbourne with an abdominal injury.
On Sunday Kvitova won the Aegon Classic title in Birmingham in just her second event since returning from surgery that repaired a left hand that was damaged by a knife-wielding burglar last December.
The 27-year-old Kvitova didn’t let on about the injury to reporters in her post-final press conference. ‘I had a great five matches here, which I think is great preparation,” she said. “I do feel tired right now, but I'm not sure if it's physically or mentally. Maybe both. And I will see what will happen in Eastbourne. I mean, of course, Wimbledon is the priority now, but I mean I had the best preparation so far.”
Kvitova, among the favorites for next week’s championships, is expected to be fine for Wimbledon.
Kvitova is a two-time Wimbledon champion (2011 and 2014) and owns a 46-15 lifetime record on grass. She won her first title on grass since Wimbledon 2014 on Sunday, despite dropping the first set to Ashleigh Barty and dealing with some heavy nerves.
“It wasn't the normal nerves as I had before, but still, I was a bit [nervous],” she said. “You know, it's my first final after such a long time. And yeah, it was a bit difficult to handle it. And I didn't serve well today. I struggled a lot. But still, in the end, I mean it's nice when you win—like when you're playing well, you win, but most of the times the best days when you win when you are not playing well."
Photo: Christopher Levy