Former world number 2 Petra Kvitova is expecting her second child with husband Jiri Vanek, the Czech announced on social media on Thursday.
I’m ready for it. I don’t regret anything. I still love tennis, but everything else, waiting for practice, waiting for the car, waiting for a match, it’s just tiring. And when you have a son, it’s a completely different life. I also just want to spend more time with him. Peter Kvitov
The two-time Wimbledon champion gave birth to a son, Petr, last year and quit the sport for good after a brief comeback during this year’s US Open.
About two months ago, Kvitova retired from the WTA Tour after losing in the first round in New York, and will welcome a new family member in a few months.
She married her longtime coach, Vanek, in 2023 and appropriately gave birth to Petr during the fortnight of Wimbledon last year.
The now 35-year-old had an emotional farewell at Wimbledon, where she won the title twice and officially retired from the tour after losing to France’s Diane Parry in New York.
Little Petr, now 16 months old, played a role in sharing the news of Kvitova’s next chapter when she posted a photo of her family of three to Instagram on Thursday, with the caption in both Czech and English: “Our little boy is going to be a big brother soon.”
She admitted ahead of her final match that she was ‘ready to quit’ and hoped to have another child in the not-too-distant future after hanging up her rackets.
Kvitova returned to the tour earlier this year after a 17-month maternity leave, but won just 1 of the 9 matches she played.
“Mentally I don’t think I can do it anymore, emotionally or physically,” she said. “You remember how you played before, how everything was going smoothly, and I was hitting winners, and suddenly it’s not there anymore.
“I’m completely ready. I don’t regret anything. I still love tennis, but everything else: waiting for training, waiting for the car, waiting for a match, it’s just tiring.”
“And having a son is a completely different life. I just want to spend more time with him too.”
Kvitova was popular in the dressing room and was an eight-time winner of the Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award, as voted by her peers, and she received a flood of congratulations, including from players such as Belinda Bencic, Sorana Cirstea, Carla Suárez Navarro and Elena Vesnina.
Petra Kvitova and husband Jiri Vanek made their announcement on Instagram on Thursday, saying, “Our little boy is going to be a big brother soon.”
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