"I'd always played at home in a small town, was hard for me to even imagine going to a bigger city" - Petra Kvitova reflects on improbable journey

Petra Kvitova's rise to the top of the women's game has been nothing short of a dream. In a recent interview with Flashscore, the two-time Wimbledon champion reflected on the path leading from the small town of Fulnek — with fewer than 6,000 residents — to the hallowed lawns of the All England Club.

Speaking about her early years, Kvitova said she'd only played at home in front of small crowds and that it wasn't until the age of 15-16 that she became the top-billed player from the Czech Republoc.

The southpaw said she had never even imagined moving to a bigger city, let alone harboring ambitions of becoming a professional. Petra Kvitova did, however, take up tennis full-time upon intervention from her mother.

"I'd always played at home in a small town of 6,000 people and was usually about fifth in the country," Kvitova said. "It wasn't until I was 15 or 16 that I took off and was the best in the country at my age. That's when Prostejov wanted me to transfer. After a while I learned that my mother had to intervene and said I had to go.

"I was scared, I was just at home until then, playing tennis just for fun," she continued. "It was hard for me to imagine going to a bigger city where there would be more people, more tennis players... I didn't have any ambition to be a professional tennis player at that time. I was most afraid of the jump to the big tennis world."

"When I won Wimbledon at 21, I spent two or three years wondering where I belonged" - Petra Kvitova

Petra Kvitova ahead of the 2021 Wimbledon Championshops.

Petra Kvitova also spoke about the challenges of dealing with the attention that she received after her maiden Wimbledon triumph in 2011, saying she spent a good two to three years figuring out where she belonged.

A non-native English speaker, the Czech hired a tutor as she began being approached for more and more media interviews. Kvitova, however, was quick to add that despite the world around her changing completely, she has tried her best to stay the same in the subsequent years.

"It was a shock especially for my English because I didn't speak it very well," Kvitova said. "I had to get a tutor. It was quite fast, mainly because when I started at the professional level, I won my first tournament right away.

"It's not for nothing they say that history only remembers the winners," she continued. "Everyone told me how everything would change, how I would have to change. But I always said no, I don't want to.

"When I won Wimbledon at the age of 21," Kvitova said. "I think I spent two or three years wondering where I belonged and who I was because I didn't think I really belonged in this world. I'm different than what the fans get to see on TV. But it just kind of happened."