Is there a more difficult job than trying to forecast what Kvitova is going to do over the course of a year? It’s hard enough guessing what you’re going to get from the fickle Czech in the next set, game or point. In between her big wins—which includes two Wimbledon championships—Kvitova can go months without a notable result.
Kvitova will turn 26 in March; that’s not old in professional tennis anymore, but she isn’t getting any younger, either. And her retreats from the tour, whether for mental or physical reasons, have become more frequent over the years. Will she ever find a modicum of consistency and fulfill the promise of her ultra-powerful game for more than a fortnight?
At this point, it would seem that the odds are against it. But in 2015, Kvitova again showed how high her ceiling is, when she handed Serena Williams the first of her three defeats on her way to winning the title in Madrid. Kvitova also showed how fragile she can be. Early in the season, she took some time away from the tour to rekindle her desire to play, and late in the year she was diagnosed with mono.
In 2011, Kvitova finished a career-high No. 2, but expecting that kind of consistency once again is probably far-fetched. She continues to be a threat to win any big match she plays, but she’s also a player that can never be counted on.
What her fans can reasonably hope for, as evidenced by her play over the last two years, is for lightning to strike at a major event and for her to become temporarily unstoppable. It could happen anywhere.
What if lightning never strikes? With Kvitova, a major title, or nothing at all, could be around the corner. She has the highest ceiling and the deepest floor on tour.
By now, it’s probably too late to hope that Kvitova will fulfill her shotmaking potential and become a consistent winner. Still, watch for her at Wimbledon.
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