Everyone’s hearts and prayers are with two-time Wimbledon Champion Petra Kvitova after a home invasion. Kvitova stated that she was "shaken, but fortunate to be alive" after she badly injured her left hand while defending herself against a man with a knife in her apartment in the Czech Republic.
Kvitova suffered lacerations and torn ligaments on four fingers on her left hand, which could certainly hinder the 26-year's career (she is left-handed and plays with a two-handed backhanded). Kvitova reportedly underwent a four-hour long surgery in an attempt to repair the damage.
The unfortunate incident ties Kvitova to a string of former athletes who have suffered similar attacks and accidents.
In 2007, former No. 5 Anna Chakvetadze was tied up in her home in Moscow while robbers ransacked her house. Her parents were also tied up, but no one was injured (though over $300,000 in jewelry and goods were stolen).
Back in 1993, then-world No. 1 Monica Seles was stabbed with a nine-inch blade on a changeover in Hamburg. Although the physical damage was minor, the psychological damage was debilitating. Seles did not play for over two years and dealt with serious depression that led to an eating disorder. She returned to the tour and made it to the 1995 US Open final. She also won the 1996 Australian Open, and helped the U.S. win the Fed Cup three times.
Another top pro to suffer serious adversity was Thomas Muster, once known as the “King of Clay.” The Austrian had just set up a meeting with Ivan Lendl in the 1989 Key Biscayne final when he was struck head on by a car as he was getting something from his trunk.
His left knee was severely injured, but Muster refused to let the accident ruin his career. He hit groundstrokes in a specially designed chair to stay in shape, and returned to the game after just six months. Muster would go on to win his first and only major at the French Open in 1995 and reach No. 1 in 1996.
Chakvetadze, and especially Seles and Muster’s stories, give some hope in the wake of Kvitova's attack. Hopefully, the world will be seeing more of the world No. 11 in the near future.