With a fair gesture in the match against Belinda Bencic at the WTA 1000 tournament in Montreal Peter Kvitovwhy she is not only one of the most popular players on the tour, but also enjoys the greatest respect for her sportsmanship.
by Dietmar Kaspar
last edited: 08/12/2023, 06:45 p.m
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Petra Kvitova and Belinda Bencic – friends first, opponents second.
From a sporting point of view, Petra Kvitova has already made herself immortal in the history of tennis with her two Wimbledon victories. The Czech also deserves no less awards, which she has received numerous off the field. The 33-year-old has already received the Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award eight times, which is awarded annually by the WTA after voting by the players.
In the round of 16 match against Olympic champion Belinda Bencic at the WTA tournament in Montreal, Kvitova showed again why she received this award as a quasi-subscription winner. After the Swiss twisted her left foot during a backhand hit in the third set, the left-hander was there immediately and took care of the initial treatment of the ankle with an ice pack.
However, the courageous intervention of the Czech was not sportingly rewarded. After almost 10 minutes of treatment, the match resumed and Bencic was able to immediately get back to her best level with a taped ankle, which showed in the immediate break in the first game after the restart. In addition, Kvitova also had to take a medical time-out later in the deciding set and receive medication for abdominal pain. After more than three hours of play, she was beaten by her 26-year-old opponent 7:6 (3), 3:6, 1:6.
Even in defeat, Kvitova showed absolute greatness. She congratulated her opponent with a warm hug on the net, and when she left the court she also said goodbye with the fist salute that has been established since Corona times. Both players also expressed their mutual respect via social media.
Even if it wasn’t enough for the 31-time title holder in Montreal to win the tournament, she was able to put herself back in position for the next title off the court with her exemplary sporting behavior.
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2023-08-12 18:00:00
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