"If Petra Kvitova publicly criticises something, you messed up"; "Truly horrible" - Fans react to Czech calling out China Open for poor scheduling

Tennis fans have expressed their support for Petra Kvitova after she publicly criticized the scheduling of the 2023 China Open.

Kvitova began her campaign at the WTA 1000 event with a come-from-behind victory against Xiyu Wang in a late-night contest. She registered a 6(6)-7, 7-5, 6-3 win against the Chinese player. However, less than 24 hours later, she was in action again as she took on Liudmila Samsonova in the second round.

She was visibly not at her best physically and ended up losing 6-4, 7-5. The Czech player later took to social media to criticize the scheduling of her matches, calling it a "far from ideal" situation.

Fans were quick to come to her defense and back up her claims, with one fan stating that the 33-year-old is not someone who would complain about things if they weren't a big issue.

"If Petra Kvitova publicly criticises something, unfortunately you messed up really bad," a fan said.

Another fan said the same and stated that the WTA and China Open messed up big time with this year's tournament.

"Petra is one of the people who NEVER complains. This was truly horrible from WTA and China Open," read one post on X (formerly Twitter).

Here are some more fan reactions:

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Petra Kvitova's 2023 season: A brief recap

Petra Kvitova at the 2023 US Open.

Petra Kvitova has had a decent season on the WTA tour in 2023, with a 30-13 win-loss record and two titles to her name.

She began her year by representing her country at the United Cup, where she beat both Jessica Pegula and Laura Siegemund in straight sets. Later, at the Adelaide International 2, she reached the quarterfinals, where she lost to Daria Kasatkina.

At the Australian Open, Kvitova began her campaign by defeating Alison Van Uytvanck before losing to Anhelina Kalinina.

She registered a second-round exit at the Qatar Open and a third-round exit at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships before reaching the quarterfinals in Indian Wells.

Kvitova's first title of the season came at the Miami Open in April, where she beat the reigning champion Elena Rybakina in the final to clinch her 13th WTA 1000 trophy.

Her claycourt swing was a forgettable one, with opening round exits at the Madrid Open and French Open, coupled with a serious right foot injury.

The former World No. 2 began the grass swing by taking home the Berlin Open (Bett1Open) title and not dropping a single set throughout the tournament. Later, her Wimbledon Championships campaign came to an end in the Round of 16 at the hands of Ons Jabeur.

Kvitova's North American hardcourt summer was nothing special, with Round of 16 (Canadian Open), Round of 32 (Cincinnati Open), and Round of 64 (US Open) exits.

Her time in China has also been equally underwhelming, with a quarterfinal exit at the Ningbo Open followed by a second-round exit at the China Open.