"It's not even worth changing, no one will remember it" - Petra Kvitova on changing her surname post marriage
Petra Kvitova opened her 2023 US Open campaign with a 6-1, 7-6(5) victory over Cristina Bucsa on Monday. The Czech was playing in just her third tournament since tying the knot with long-time boyfriend and coach Jiri Vanek in July.
During an interview with iSport.cz post the win, Kvitova spoke about a range of topics including her wedding day and changing her surname post-marriage.
The southpaw reiterated that she would continue to play under her maiden name, joking that it wasn't even worth changing as no one would probably remember it anyway.
"Of course, I will remain Kvitova," she said. "It's not even worth changing, no one will remember it anyway."
Shifting focus to life after marriage, Kvitova said she felt weird for a few days after the wedding. She also recalled the wedding day, saying it was nice to share the moment with her loved ones.
"The first days after the wedding, I felt a little strange that I was married," Petra Kvitova said. "But gradually I got used to it. I won the first match, which was important for everyone. Mainly for me. The wedding day was amazing, I'm sure everyone enjoyed it with us. Really great, even the weather held out for us. A beautiful day.”
"I rather let it flow," she continued. "At the tournaments, I didn't have the thoughts or the capacity to get married. That's what Jirka was saying: Look, in a month. He was counting down his freedom.”
"It felt like she wasn't even gone" - Petra Kvitova on playing Caroline Wozniacki at US Open
With her win in the first round at the US Open, Petra Kvitova set up a match with former World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, who returned to the sport after a three-year hiatus earlier this month.
Sharing her excitement, the Czech said she had known Wonzniacki for a long time and even spoke to her a few times after her return to Tour. She heaped praise on the Dane for returning to competition after such a long break and having given birth to two children.
"We've known each other for a long time, she also commented on TV, so it felt like she wasn't even gone," Petra Kvitova said. "We had fun in Montreal, where she performed for the first time in a long time. We met in the dressing room and exchanged a few words."
"She is half a year younger than me," she conitnued. "She was always in shape, she even ran a marathon. You can see that she is maintaining herself. But that she still wants to play after two children... Hats off. I thought she said goodbye for health reasons as well. That she recovered poorly. Maybe everything will change after the children.”
The duo will take court at the US Open for the 15th installment of their longstanding on-court rivalry on Wednesday. Kvitova holds an edge in the head-to-head, leading 8-6.