Petra Kvitova could make her long-awaited return to tennis at the French Open in May.
The two-time Wimbledon champion has been out of action since December after an intruder burst into her home and slashed her left, playing hand.
Emergency surgery in the aftermath of the attack helped repair damage to the Czech’s tendons and nerves and she has been battling back to fitness ever since.
Now she has entered her name for the French Open draw, to be held in Paris on Wednesday, but warned the tournament may still come too soon for her.
In a statement on her official Facebook page, Kvitova said: “I wanted to provide a quick (and hopefully positive) update for you.
“My name will appear on the entry list for Roland Garros because, as the entry deadline approached, I had made good progress in my recovery process and I want to give myself every last opportunity to be able to compete at one of my favorite events.
“This unfortunately does not mean necessarily that I will be ready to play in Paris, but that I’m doing everything possible to give myself the chance and keep a positive mindset.
“There remains a long road ahead but I wanted to share this update with you.”
Kvitova was at home in the city of Prostejov, about 160 miles east of the Czech capital Prague, when an apparent robber burst into her apartment at around 08:30am on the morning of December 20.
The 27-year-old was able to fend the attacker off, who then fled, and later said she was “shaken, but fortunate to be alive.”
As part of her rehabilitation, Kvitova recently spent time in the Canary Islands training and said she was working “really hard” on her recovery.
The 19-time winner on the WTA Tour said her outlook on life had changed since the incident, and that she was doing everything she could to give herself a second chance back on court.
The last time Kvitova played competitively was for the Czech Republic in a Fed Cup tie against France on November 12 last year. She was knocked out of the 2016 French Open in round three by America’s Shelby Rogers.
Both her major titles came on grass at Wimbledon, in 2011 and 2014, and she reached a career-high ranking of world number two in October 2011.
This year’s French Open starts at Roland Garos on May 22.
