Petra Kvitova confesses she has a fresh perspective on the sport, while conceding her surgically-repaired left hand will never be 100 percent again.
Meeting the media in Dubai, the Australian Open finalist said her successful comeback from a stabbing during a horrific home invasion—and recently testifying against her attacker—has given her a greater appreciation of her life and career.
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"I do see life a little differently, tennis as well," Kvitova said. "I know how close you are to something that you can really lose. It was just about a few moments.
"I do look little bit differently on everything, I think. I'm not really stressing about some small things. I'm really enjoying the life and the time right now. That's the good one."
The second-seeded Kvitova, who had a first-round bye, will play Czech Fed Cup teammate Katerina Siniakova in her Dubai opener after practicing with another compatriot, Barbora Strycova.
The left-handed Czech, who still lacks feeling in one finger on her racquet hand, does not expect her hand to ever fully recover.
"I mean my hand is not 100 percent. It will never be actually," Kvitova said.. "I'm happy I didn't have to change any techniques or any differences in my racquet or anything like that."
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve