"You have a kid & a husband with you" - New mother Petra Kvitova gets honest about return to tennis at ATX Open & expectations she has for herself

Petra Kvitova is all set to make her return from maternity leave at the 2025 ATX Open. The two-time Wimbledon has been away from the sport for 17 months but is staying positive about her new innings.

Having announced her planned return earlier in the month, Kvitova has now arrived in Texas for the WTA 250 tournament with her husband and coach Jiri Vanek, son Petr and brother Libor. Opening up about the difference of travelling with her family, including her son for the first time in an interview with WTA, the Czech said she would not have it any other way.

Leaving behind her son was not an option for Kvitova, who has her brother taking on childcare duties early in her comeback. She added that having her family with her would also help take her mind off tennis every now and then.

"When you are at the tournaments and you’re not playing tennis, you can be a little bit bored," Petra Kvitova said. " Or thinking too much about the mental side of tennis, being sad you are away from home -- this is different."

"You have a kid and a husband with you. I couldn’t leave him at home -- I would miss him. It’s just more of a family life, I would say -- not just tennis, tennis, tennis," she added.

Elaborating on her expectation ahead of the planned return to tennis, Kvitova said she was looking to enjoy her time on the court before anything else.

"I don’t expect anything, basically,” Petra Kvitova said. "I’m here -- that’s already a big deal for me. Sometimes I’m really surprised by myself. Like, why I did it [the comeback]? But I think I would have regretted it if I didn’t come back"

"I’m not putting any goals on myself, I will never play as good as I was playing when I was winning tournaments. Yeah, we’ll see. I want to enjoy myself playing tennis, and I think it will take time," she added.

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"You can’t imagine how it will be until you have a baby" - Petra Kvitova opens up on motherhood

Petra Kvitova and husband-coach Jiri Vanek. (Source: Getty)

Petra Kvitova also opened up about motherhood, saying it’s not an experience one can describe in words. She went on equate the experience of having a child as a “miracle”.

"You can’t imagine how it will be until you have a baby,” Petra Kvitova said. "It’s very difficult to describe. Coming from you, somebody else on this earth -- you can give the life to somebody else. I think it’s ... a miracle.”

On the professional front, Kvitova has confirmed her participation for the ATX Open in Austin, scheduled to begin on Monday (February 24). She will next compete at the Sunshine Double, which includes the WTA 1000 tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami.

The Czech had a huge success at the Sunshine Double the last time she competed there, reaching the Indian Wells quarterfinals and winning the title in Miami.