Petra Kvitova sends Eastbourne victory joke to her team ahead of 'Wimbledon storm'

Eastbourne champion and twice Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova was in a jokey mood after her straight sets triumph at Devonshire Park on Saturday.

Kvitova clinched the Eastbourne singles title for the first time with a dominant display against defending champion Jelena Ostapenko at the Rothesay International.

Kvitova – a beaten finalist here in 2011 – controlled a one-sided encounter as her pin-point return never allowed her Latvian opponent to find a rhythm en route to a 6-3 6-2 win.

Victory for Kvitova brought a 29th career singles title and a big confidence boost for the 32-year-old ahead of a first-round Wimbledon meeting with Italian Jasmine Paolini on Tuesday.

After sealing match point, the Czech player thanked her team and admitted she she has “not always been easy” to be around during some inconsistent form this year.

“I had to make a joke for them,” said the newly-crowned Eastbourne champion, in an exclusive interview with Sussex World.

"I have not always been easy to around. Yeah. Not always having good thoughts, I would say.

"[I have] Struggled this year, up and downs and not thinking positively sometimes.

"But I did not mean I'm not nice to them, I hope! But sometimes it's not easy in practice, you know like I'm complaining, I don't want to do this or that, I mean, I'm a girl, right!

"But it was just for them, my team, I made a joke for them.”

Kvitova dropped just one set this week as she saw off two British players Katie Boulter and Harriet Dart, plus Croatian Donna Vekic and then Beatriz Haddad Maia in Friday’s semi.

"It has been busy, every day a match and my team are with me all the time as well, they need to enjoy it as well. It is not just about me.”

The former world No 2 is due to play at Wimbledon on Tuesday but admits she has not even looked at the draw and did not want to know who she’s going to play as she wanted to take time to enjoy the Eastbourne win.

"Don’t tell who I’m playing,” she said with a smile, with the Eastbourne trophy gleaming by her side. “I have not looked at the draw. I will have a rest and then go again, for sure.

"I appreciate it [the tour] more now. Sometimes it is a little tougher but when I have matches like today I appreciate it as well.

"Unfortunately it’s the results that matter. Even though I won today, tomorrow is different. It's a new tournament and I can lose in the first round and that will be so bad again. That is tough in tennis.

"I have been on the tour pretty long. I think I was still a kid [in 2011 for first Eastbourne final]. I did not think how life is important, it was all tennis.

"But it is all about health and health of others. Even as a player I am thinking more about stuff with your body and injuries.”

The more gentle surroundings of Eastbourne and talking walks on the south downs at Beachy Head provides a welcome contrast ahead of the intensity of the Wimbledon Championships.

It’s 11 years since the 6ft tall left hander won her first title at SW19 in 2011 – with her second arriving in 2014.

Kvitova now hopes the confidence gained at Devonshire Park can help her in the high-pressure environment of the grass court slam.

"It [Eastbourne] is the clam before the storm. But being on the court and having the full crowd here is unbelievable and I really missed it in corona times.

“I always like it here, it is beautiful to play in front of them.

"Wimbledon is more crowdy, more people everywhere but it is a historical tournament, so we cannot be surprised. This is a great calm place before it.”

The last player to win at Eastbourne and go on to triumph at the All England Club in the same year was her fellow Czech player, the late Jana Novotna, in 1998.

Asked about her compatriot, who died at the age of 49 in 2017, Kvitova said: “It’s always nice to think about Jana, of course.

“She had so many great matches, not only here but in Wimbledon as well.

“I’m glad that we are able to play such a great event as here. It’s the best preparation for Wimbledon.”

In the men’s draw, World number 14 Taylor Fritz edged his all-American clash with Maxime Cressy to claim the singles title in dramatic fashion.

The 24-year-old regained the crown he won in 2019 following a nail-biting tie-break decider, winning 6-2 6-7 (4) 7-6 (4) in two hours and 17 minutes.

“There’s something about this place, it’s where I won my first title,” Fritz said on court.

“When I got here, I already felt like I was playing so much better than I was before just being here, so this place always has a really special spot in my heart.

“My grass-court season wasn’t going great before I came here. It feels great to have this confidence, I’ve played really well all week and going into Wimbledon I feel good.”

Serbian Aleksandra Krunic and Poland’s Magda Linette were crowned women’s doubles champions by walkover after Ostapenko withdrew ahead of the final due to injury.

Ostapenko, who was partnering Ukrainian Lyudmyla Kichenok, was suffering with a toe issue on her right foot following her singles final loss to Kvitova.