Cancelled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Mutua Madrid Open come back with Petra kvitova (Bílovec, Czech Republic, 31 years old) in the women's team. Three-time champion in the Caja Mágica (2011, 2015 and 2018), talk with Ace about his now recovered left hand, his expectations, his hobbies beyond tennis …
How is your handin December 2016 he suffered very serious injuries to his left when trying to defend himself from a thief who entered his house armed with a knife)?
Thanks for asking. Not many people do it anymore. I am happy with how everything has gone and grateful to be able to continue playing tennis, which is something that I came to think that I could not do, because it also affected my good hand. It has been a complicated process (was absent for five months and to this day mobility is still not 100%), but I have succeeded and I don't want to keep complaining about this anymore.
He returns to Madrid, where he has won three times, after a year of hiatus due to the virus. Happy?
There is always a great atmosphere here and the spectators are great. I have missed it a lot and am very happy to be able to return. Everybody comes to play here and every game can be very interesting. It is incredible that he has managed to win three times. The conditions fit my game: the ball flies well and I like the tracks. It is also a tournament that changed my mentality. It made me realize that I could also play well and beat the best in the world on clay.
Her first rival will be Bouzkova, a compatriot, and if she wins she could face Vondrousova, another Czech. What does that say about the development of tennis in your country?
I already played Bouzkova in Cincinnati last year and she's tough. I think the players from my country are doing very well. We have a lot of history in this sport, with legends like Navratilova (born in Prague and nationalized by the USA in 1975) or Novotna. Many of us have grown up watching them and that has had a lot to do with it.
He's on the same side of the painting as Barty. Is she the big favorite or do you have other players in mind?
Of course she is the favorite, since she is number one. I'm not sure the altitude goes well with your game, but you can do well wherever you want.
Can you go far in the next few days?
We'll see. I've been playing good tennis, I feel good in general and I'm enjoying it, but the table is very complicated.
There will be some audience in the stands. What do you think?
It's great. It motivates me a lot. I have missed the people so much, the atmosphere they create. Even if they are only a few viewers, they will make a big difference.
At 31 years old, do you think you will win big tournaments again?
I don't feel like a 31-year-old. When I was young I thought that at 30 I would no longer be playing and look, I'm still here, fighting. I still love this sport and that's why I do it. I think I can still perform very well. I won in Doha and I have faith that I can win more tournaments. If not, I would quit.
You are very music lover. What do you listen to before training or going to a game?
I play a lot of Czech music. Also Pink, Ed Sheeran, Cold Play, U2 … I like everything.
Any Spanish artist?
Iglesias is Spanish, right?
July?
Yes.
From Madrid.
There you have it.