Petra Kvitova and Karolina Pliskova to Play Competitive Tennis Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and Former World No.3 Karolina Pliskova are all set to compete on the tennis court again. Kvitova and the Pliskova sisters, along with a number of Top-100 Czech players, will clash at a tournament in Prague between May 26-28. Moreover, World No.65 Jiri Vesely will headline the men’s tournament.

The tennis tour came to a halt for an indefinite period in early-March due to the outbreak of coronavirus. However, the tournament is a step forward in the process of restarting the season. A couple of events took place in Germany and Florida in the past two weeks as well.

“I’m really curious” – Petra Kvitova

“This is the first event the Czech Tennis Association (CTS) has prepared for players at a time when they can’t travel because of the coronavirus pandemic,” tournament spokesman Karel Tejkal said in a statement on Sunday.

Kvitova, who was against playing tennis in front of empty stands, is eager to know how the tournament pans out.

“I’m looking forward to playing a tournament after a long time,” said Kvitova as quoted by AFP. “I’m really curious about the shape we’ll be in without playing any tournaments.” 

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The Czech Republic has reported more than 8,100 confirmed cases with 270 deaths so far, as a direct result of the coronavirus. Hence, reports suggest that the income earned from the tournament will be used to help the health workers in the country in their fight against the pandemic. However, no details of prize money have yet ben divulged.

We have already seen the Tennis-Point Exhibition Series in Germany and UTR in Florida. Hence, we know how the event would look like with all the new safety precautions in place. However, it will still be interesting to see tennis back in action after the hiatus.