As the BNP Paribas Open gets underway in Indian Wells, consider the presence of those who are absent. World number one Serena Williams, victorious at this event in ’99 and ’01, has withdrawn. Defending champion Victoria Azarenka, also a winner in ’12, remains on maternity leave. A two-time titlist, Maria Sharapova (’06, ’13), is still serving her suspension. Ana Ivanovic, who lifted the trophy nine years ago, has retired.
Then there’s Petra Kvitova, who turned 27 on Wednesday. In seven trips to Indian Wells, Kvitova has only twice reached the quarterfinals, last year going out at that stage to Agnieszka Radwanska.
But the real story with Kvitova has less to do with her Indian Wells results and more related to the horrible injury she has suffered to her left hand, the tendons torn when Kvitova was robbed and attacked in her apartment last December. Kvitova is expected to return to tennis in late May or June. But of course, this is not your garden variety sports injury, complete with a clear recovery timetable. And who can determine the psychological scars?
In 2007, sixth-ranked Anna Chakvetadze and her parents were tied up by robbers in Moscow. In the wake of that trauma, everything from fear of further assault – the robbers had stated that more could come another time – to overtraining turned a promising career into a premature retirement.
