Petra Kvitova is confident she will be able to defend her Wimbledon title despite pulling out of the Aegon International at Eastbourne.
Kvitova has been struggling with a sore throat since Thursday and after receiving medical advice on Sunday night, she has decided not to risk her health before the start of Wimbledon next Monday. Despite the disruption to her preparations, the world No2 does not want to exacerbate her symptoms by pushing herself unnecessarily at Eastbourne.
“I started to feel not well when I came here,” Kvitova, who was given a bye into the second round as the top seed, said. “Maybe from the plane, I’m not really sure. I did not feel my best and two days ago I really feel a sore throat. It’s not really much better.
“I don’t need antibiotics so that’s a good sign. I just need to be in the bed and drink lots of hot tea and I’m just lying and resting. I’m going to stay here and then move slowly to London.
Kvitova said the problem is not linked to her recent six-week lay-off because of fatigue. “It’s something different,” she said. “During that time it was just exhaustion but now it’s more illness.”
The Czech would have preferred to have more practice on grass. “I wanted to play some matches here but it doesn’t really make sense to play and not be ready for Wimbledon and maybe get more ill than I am now,” she said.
Kvitova was realistic about the situation – and perhaps she remembered she pulled out of her quarter-final against Heather Watson at Eastbourne last year because of a hamstring injury and then went on to win Wimbledon for the second time. She followed up her maiden victory in 2011 by thrashing Eugenie Bouchard in a one-sided final.
