Petra Kvitova: One of the More Talented Female Players to Emerge in Recent Times

Two weeks ago I travelled to Eastbourne to watch the Aeagon Championships final between Petra Kvitova and Marion Bartoli.  The final lasted two hours and 30 minutes and was an interesting match just before Wimbledon.  Kvitova lost the match in three sets, but I was very impressed with her game and attitude.

The first set went by like a flash as Kvitova lost in 29 minutes.  Kvitova was hitting shots all over the place and couldn’t get the ball in court for more than three shots at any one time. 

It was surprising as she’d played her semi final just two hours earlier due to rain the day before.  So you would have expected her to be in good form from the off. 

Kvitova started the second set much the same way, going a break down early with Bartoli hitting her trademark groundstrokes. 

Then, all of a sudden, Kvitova started making her serves and hitting winners, and the whole match turned around with Kvitova breaking back and winning the 2nd set 6-4. 

The third set was also tight but in the end Bartoli’s desire and greater experience came through to take the title.

Even though Kvitova lost the match, a few things were quite impressive about her performance.  Despite losing the first set so convincingly, Kvitova was willing to go for her shots and once her shots went in, she was very dangerous. 

Kvitova also has a great lefty serve which she uses to advantage on both deuce and ad courts.  She also likes the one-two punch combination of getting a quick serve and hitting a winner on the next shot. 

Kvitova has definitely grown since losing the 2010 Wimbledon semi final to Serena Williams; she’s now six feet tall.  That affected her on low balls as she was reluctant to really get down low to shots. 

However, she has a great slice and has very good volleying skills and is always prepared to slice the short ball and attack the net. 

I found myself really enjoying watching Kvitova when she gets it right.  She’s won a couple of tournaments this year including Brisbane on hard courts and Madrid on clay, she undoubtedly has great potential. 

Despite the Eastbourne loss, Kvitova has a great chance to win Wimbledon this year and if she plays her best, she appears unbeatable. 

In the Wimbledon semi final against Victoria Azarenka, Kvitova played some of the best Tennis not seen for years in the women's game.  Kvitova won the first set 6-1 and Azarenka had no chance. 

In fact, Azarenka played reasonably well with not too many errors but was blown away by a serving exhibition and the ability to hit winners anywhere on the court in an absolutely effortless manner, always the sign of a naturally talented player.

Kvitova tightened up in the second set, allowing Azarenka to get back in the match.  However, Kvitova got her mind back together in the third set and once again her shotmaking proved too much for Azarenka. 

Whether Kvitova wins Wimbledon this year remains to be seen, but it seems clear she has the talent to win many slam tournaments over the next 10 years.

One of the reasons for that is that Kvitova possesses that rare gift which we haven’t seen in the women's game for some time, the match is often on her racquet.  If Kvitova plays well, she will win more often than not because her opponent will be overwhelmed. 

That hasn’t really happened since the likes of Serena Williams, Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin came through as teenagers 10 years ago. 

In the last few years we’ve had a succession of players who don’t really have extra skill or an x factor.  Some may point to Ana Ivanovic, but she doesn’t possess the serving ability of Kvitova, which is one of the reasons Ana's game and confidence has fallen away so dramatically.

Should Kvitova defeat Maria Sharapova and win Wimbledon this year, then it will certainly be the beginning of a new era. 

However, win or lose, Kvitova certainly has the opportunity to become the best player in the world as long as she has the desire to keep improving and become more consistent, whilst keeping the spontaneity in her game which the crowd loves to see in naturally talented players.