Kvitova loved her return to the circuit: "I missed this feeling of being in competition"

Petra Kvitova made her big return to competition this week at the Austin tournament.

After receiving a wild card from the organizers of the Texas tournament, the 34-year-old Czech player played her first official tournament in 17 months.

Facing Jodie Burrage in the first round, Kvitova was close to winning but ultimately fell in the money-time (3-6, 6-4, 6-4).

On her Instagram account, the double Wimbledon winner shared in a short message her return to the courts, a first since Beijing in 2023 on the WTA circuit.

"I loved making my return to the courts. Thank you to the ATX Open tournament for its warm welcome. I missed this feeling of being in competition, being combative, and most importantly, seeing my supporters again," wrote the former world number 2 on the social network.