The tennis scene in early February was always quiet, giving everyone a chance to catch their breath and digest the Melbourne trip, and there were too many things to digest. Naomi Osaka broke the so-called "Grand Slam curse", and after winning the first Grand Slam at the US Open last year, the Japanese not only played well in the next competition, but also won the second Grand Slam title in Melbourne. Djokovic's performance was particularly amazing, he defeated Nadal by an absolute advantage to achieve Melbourne's "Seven Champions". Federer and Serena Williams were eliminated in an amazing way, bidding farewell to the Australian Open trip. But there's one other person's story worth taking another look at – especially given what happened earlier this week – and that's Petra Kvitova's Australian Open trip.
Despite being a two-time Wimbledon winner, Petra Kvitova is not a household name. This has to do with Kvitova's personality, she likes to stay out of the spotlight; it also has to do with Kvitova's unstable play. This instability has plagued her entire career, and on any matchday, the Czech girl can beat anyone or lose to anyone. It's a bit of a shame that many people know Kvitova because of the horrific knife-wielding robbery that happened in December 2016. Despite the unfortunate accident, Kvitova's return to the field, reaching the Australian Open women's singles final, rising to second place in the world, and all that followed, this true story deserves attention.
It is well known that Kvitova's left hand (holding a clapping hand) was seriously injured in the accident, her five fingers were cut, the nerves in her hand were also cut off, and at first people worried that her injuries were too serious to play tennis again. It took the doctors more than four hours to complete the operation, and it was amazing that the left hand was repaired so that she could play with the beat again. All this is also due to the hard work of Kvitova herself. But, as she said, the sensitivity of her left hand was no longer what it used to be, and the nerve damage had caused her thumb and index finger to lose consciousness in parts. It also makes her return unique compared to others, because it's not just a matter of recovering from an ordinary injury or recovering to physical condition; Kvitova has to face the fact that the feeling of her grip will no longer be the same as the feeling of winning the Wimbledon title twice, and she must overcome the challenges of a serious injury to her left hand.
What is more admirable than overcoming physical challenges, however, is the process by which she overcomes psychological obstacles. Any athlete can attest to the extreme difficulty of overcoming injuries, especially those that require surgery and a long recovery process. In addition, it is difficult to return to its original body shape and race mentality. But Kvitova also has to deal with the fact that her injuries were the result of a burglary attack on her home, and that the matter is not over yet. Earlier this week, Kvitova appeared in court to testify against the gangsters. In order to avoid meeting the suspect directly in court, the Czech girl participated in the trial via video in another room, but she still had to face the painful memory again. As early as the Australian Open, Kvitova knew she had to testify in court, but she was still able to put the matter on the back burner, focus on the game, and break into the final, which is really admirable.
Returning to the field and what happened with it didn't make the Czech girl more famous outside of tennis, and her elusive state and low-key personality may even have kept her out of the spotlight. However, Kvitova turned such a terrible chapter of her life into a positive side and started her second career, which is one of the most inspiring stories in sports. It does not matter whether the Czech girl can go further than this Australian Open trip in the future, her spirit of facing difficulties is worthy of appreciation and admiration. (Source: House of Tennis Author: Joanie Agler Translation: Min Lin)