Petra Kvitova, currently 11th in the women’s tennis world rankings, says she was attacked inside her home in her native Czech Republic today by a man armed with a knife who attempted to rob her. In her struggle against the attacker, she suffered what she described as a “severe” injury to her left hand. She has said she is “fortunate to be alive.”
Kvitova released a message about the attack on Twitter:
Here’s what the local police had to say about the incident, via the Guardian:
“Today before half past eight in the morning, a 26-year-old woman was attacked near Prostejov. The unidentified perpetrator broke into the apartment using a ruse.” He added that the attacker, a man estimated to be about 35, escaped from the scene and that police have launched a manhunt.
According to Kvitova’s spokesperson, the attacker is not believed to have specifically targeted the tennis player personally, and instead had picked a house to rob at random. The robber reportedly made off with 5,000 Czech Koruna, which is a little less than $200.
[Guardian]