Former Brisbane International champion Petra Kvitova may have gotten in touch with her softer side at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary today, but the world No.8 will show no such mercy against her stacked field of competitors this year with just one goal in mind: to win.
In 2011, unseeded and relatively unknown, Kvitova’s debut WTA victory at the Brisbane International proved the catalyst to a stellar year, adding a Grand Slam title at Wimbledon and a career-high ranking of world No.2 to her rapidly amounting list of accolades.
While her position in the draw is slightly improved from her last appearance in 2011, now enjoying the luxuries of a sixth seeding, Kvitova is hoping returning to the tournament this year will give way to just as much success – or perhaps even a little more.
“2011 really started with this title in Brisbane, so I hope that I can play similar tennis as in 2011 here and try to play my best,” she said.
“I know it will be very tough to replay the season of 2011… I’ve been working hard. I have a new fitness coach and with my tennis coach we are still practicing what I need to be back.”
The koala may have been a little more docile than her top 10 opponents but just as daunting nonetheless for Kvitova, who after successfully cradling the Australian wildlife icon, will count this as her first win of the tournament.
“It was great. I was a bit afraid at first but I think I did a good job,” she said.
But Kvitova’s next opponents will prove a much harder task, with her spot in the draw lying amid 7 fellow top-10 competitors, including the emerging big three in the women’s game and claimants to all four of last year’s Grand Slams — Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams.
With the stacked draw Kvitova faces the prospect of top-10 opponents by the quarterfinals in what would be just her third match of the season, including a possible rematch of last year’s Australian Open semifinal against Sharapova, who won all three of their meetings in 2012.
But with two Grand-Slam wins last season and winning records over the entire Brisbane draw, Kvitova still considers Serena Williams as the woman to beat in 2013.
“We’ve seen how she [Williams] played last year and I think that she had incredible results and I think that she was for sure the best one in the last season,” she said.
Yet Williams may not prove the toughest hurdle for Kvitova this year, with the worsening Brisbane humidity already weighing down on the asthmatic Czech during her first practice session on Thursday, which she deemed worse than in 2011 — or perhaps the Brisbane weather always comes as a bit of a shock from the European winter.
“The humidity is not great for me because I have asthma so I’m breathing tougher, but I think that that’s part of me and I have to fight with it too so otherwise I’m feeling good and healthy,” she said.
“2011 wasn’t that bad. I was sweating a lot but I didn’t feel that bad as today when I practised because it’s hot and I think 2011 wasn’t that hot. That’s just what I have to get used to.”
But, the former champion knows what it takes to deal with the conditions and fresh from spearheading a second consecutive Fed Cup victory with the Czech team, she even stopped to offer hometown hero Sam Stosur her support.
“I think for Sam it’s hard to play here because she wants too much from herself and she’s trying to fight with this,” she said.
“It’s not easy with the pressure and everything to play here and in the Grand Slam in Melbourne, so I know for her it’s not really a good time to be here, but she’s lucky she has a Grand Slam here and the nice people around.”
With any luck the born-and-bred local will return the favour with some advice on living in the Brisbane humidity, a hurdle Kvitova will no doubt have to handle if she is to repeat her success here from 2011.