Petra Kvitova highlights that she never said that she would retire after pregnancy but also admits that her current level isn't good enough for her to be a contender for titles.
After announcing her pregnancy in late 2023, it was clear that the two-time Wimbledon champion would miss the entire 2024 season.
But when the Czech also didn't sign up for any tournaments in early 2025, that's when some fans started being concerned that her career was over.
However, this week, Kvitova confirmed that she would return to tennis in late February in Austin, which starts on February 24th.
"I'll be thirty-five in March, so when else? I never said I was quitting, which I'm glad about because I don't have to change any decisions now. I always had the door open," the 34-year-old told Ceska Televize.
Kvitova: At the moment, I can't win tournaments
Even though Austin is from the WTA 250 category, the Czech doesn't expect to be contending for the title there.
"My tennis is not at a level where I can win tournaments, certainly not at the moment. I will be happy if I win a match," the 31-time WTA champion said.
After Austin, Kvitova also targets to play during the Sunshine Double and compete in Indian Wells and Miami.
While she won the WTA 1000 tournament in Miami in 2023 and definitely enjoyed some solid success, the former world No. 2 doesn't want her fans to expect major things from her right out of the gate in her post-pregnancy return.
"It's not like I finished yesterday. I would like to tell people not to hope for a miracle. We'll see in time whether it will improve or not. Of course, I'm training, doing everything I can for it and we'll see where it leads," the Czech said.
Over the last few years, there have been several examples of strong post-pregnancy returns to tennis.
Addressing that, Kvitova said that she is not looking too much into that as she simply wants to give tennis another shot and see what happens.
