Petra Kvitova shows potential in maternity leave comeback

Meet the new Petra…not so different from the old Petra.

Was anyone surprised that Kvitova, once nicknamed P3tra for her penchant for playing three-setters, would go the distance in the first match of her comeback, in Austin a week ago? Or that she would do the same in her second match back, against Varvara Gracheva in Indian Wells on Wednesday?

Was anyone surprised that there would be 11 breaks of serve in her 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 loss to Gracheva? That the momentum would spin 180 degrees every couple of games, or every couple of points? That Kvitova would hit 13 winners in the first set, then turn around and commit 20 errors in the second? That she would look out of gas as she tried to run to the corner on one point, and then hit a blistering winner and let out a startling “POJD!” that rattled the hills of Indian Wells on the next point?

Kvitova has played two matches this year and lost them both, but nobody is going to hold that against her. She’s coming back after 17 months of maternity leave. She’s 34 now, and 11 years removed from her last major title, at Wimbledon in 2014. She’s married to her coach, Jiri Vanek, and they have a son, Petr. If Gracheva’s post-match comments about her opponent are any indication, Kvitova’s return will be a welcome one among her fellow players.

I don’t expect anything, basically, I’m here—that’s already a big deal for me…I tried to explain to everybody that I came back because I love it. I miss tennis, I love tennis itself since I was 4. Petra Kvitova to wtatennis.com

“I’m very happy to play Petra, and I really want to congratulate her,” Gracheva said. “She had a child,” which is “very inspiring for sport athletes.”

It’s also a return that almost certainly wouldn’t have happened 20, or even 10, years ago. The demands of pro tennis and motherhood traditionally didn’t mix; when Evonne Goolagong Cawley won Wimbledon in 1980, she was the first mom to take home a Grand Slam title in 66 years. But changes to WTA rules over the past decade—including allowing players to use their pre-pregnancy rankings at 12 events—have helped make the dual role more plausible. There are close to 20 moms playing today. Caroline Wozniacki came back in 2023, Naomi Osaka in 2024, and Belinda Bencic in 2025. Kvitova says she was inspired by the younger Bencic and Osaka, but that she’s in a somewhat different position because of her age.

“I don’t expect anything, basically,” Kvitova told wtatennis.com last month. “I’m here—that’s already a big deal for me…I tried to explain to everybody that I came back because I love it. I miss tennis, I love tennis itself since I was 4.”

She also said that, from a mental perspective, traveling with a family can have its advantages. There’s less down time and alone time—which means there’s less time to be bored, less time to be lonely, less time to obsess over your next match or the state of your game.

“It’s more of a family life, I would say—not just tennis, tennis, tennis.”

The sport, as Kvitova implies, has always been a consuming one. If you aren’t playing or practicing, you’re getting on the next flight. Since the pandemic threatened the tours’ existence in 2020, though, there has been a push to try to humanize the game a bit, and give its players more financial security. Prize money has grown, while revenue sharing, pension funds, saner scheduling, and player rights have been discussed in a more serious way than they have been in the past.

The upshot is that a popular player like Kvitova can afford to take time away to have a child, and feel like her return will be supported. It was only two years ago that she won Miami, so better results would seem to be likely. Judging by the crowd reaction to her entrance on Stadium 1 on Wednesday, she still has following.

And judging by the way she acted in defeat—she gave Gracheva her customary hug at the net—she’s still the same Petra that her fans and colleagues love.