"There were an awful lot of flies everywhere, it was hell" - Petra Kvitova after Wimbledon victory

Petra Kvitova has commented on the unpleasant insect problem during her second-round victory over Aliaksandra Sasnovich at Wimbledon.

Kvitova comfortably defeated the Belarusian 6-2, 6-2, but was seen dealing with insects throughout the match. The two-time former Wimbledon champion complained to the chair umpire about the number of flies on the court right at the start of the encounter. Both players could be spotted swatting away the flying insects over the course of the match.

Speaking to the iSport.cz after her victory, Kvitova elaborated on the insect issue.

"It didn't physically feel like it was extra hot. Rather, something else bothered me," Petra Kvtiova said. "There were an awful lot of flies everywhere from the beginning. It was hell! The referee told me that once a year there are flies everywhere and this is the day."

Kvitova added that she even sprayed herself with repellant to try and avoid the flies.

"I even sprayed myself with repellant so they wouldn't come at me," she continued. "It was a big surprise that I have probably never experienced here before. I don't know. Some looked like flying ants and some like flies. There was something on the grass and something in the air."

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"I'm quite emotionally tired now, I have to change this" - Petra Kvitova on looking ahead at Wimbledon

Petra Kvitova at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships.

Petra Kvitova spoke about playing on the All England Club's Court 2 and addressed her own performance duing the second-round clash.

The Czech descibed the court as the "slowest" one at the entire Wimbledon venue and said that she did not serve very well during the match.

"I think it's the slowest court in the complex," Petra Kvitova said. "I don't have the best memories of it, but I also won there several times. That's what I try to overcome, but it's not always easy. I didn't play very good tennis, nor was my serve very good, but I still managed to win. I have to take positive things from it."

Looking ahead at her Wimbledon campaign, Kvitova said she was hoping to manage her emotions better and be more involved in her upcoming matches.

"Yes, today I lost a lot, even though I'm quite emotionally tired now," she continued. "Even though I was leading, I was still restless. In several games I lost a 40:0 lead, I fought with my opponent and myself. I have to change this, get more involved."