Petra Kvitova marries coach Jiri Vanek at a private ceremony in Prague
A year after getting engaged to her coach and long-time boyfriend Jiri Vanek, Czech tennis star Petra Kvitova tied the knot at a private ceremony in her home country.
The two-time Wimbledon champion, who re-entered the top 10 of the world rankings earlier this year, recently took to social media to announce the wedding. Sharing a dreamy-looking picture of herself in a white wedding dress alongside Vanek donning a blue suit, she wrote: "Mr. and Mrs. 22.7.2023".
Mr and Mrs
22.7.2023 pic.twitter.com/x7ukDos9a0
"Mr. and Mrs. 22.7.2023," Kvitova captioned the post.
As per reports in the Czech media, the wedding, which was organized at a luxury resort just outside of Prague, was attended by some of the couple's closest aquaintances including Kvitova's colleague and friend Barbora Strycova, who recently lifted the Wimbledon women's doubles crown.
The couple managed to keep the wedding a private and low-key affair, with the media only being looped in after the ceremony was completed.
Kvitova, as per iSport.cz, wore a dress by the local designer Beata Rajska. The wedding also featured the band Mirai.
Notably, the two-time Wimbeldon champion had in her recent interviews hinted at an impending wedding, but would always stop short of putting a date on it. At the end of last season, the Bilovec native had said the wedding would likely take place in 2023.
"I said yes and there should be [a wedding next year]. But when and where I will not tell you," Kvitova had said at the time.
Petra Kvitova and Jiri Vanek had gotten engaged at Wimbledon 2022
Jiri Vanek popped the question to Petra Kvitova at last year's Wimbledon Championships, just after the Czech had been honored at the All England Club as part of the Centre Court's anniversary celebrations.
Kvitova later confirmed the news of her engagement on social media, sharing a photograph from the All England Club, dubbing it a "very special" place for her.
"Happy news we wanted to share with you guys… I said “yes” in my special place ❤️💍," Kvitova had written while announcing her engagement on Instagram.
Kvitova and Vanek had first joined hands after the former split with her long-time coach David Kotyza in 2016. The same was shortly before the home invasion and knife attack that left the Czech with serious lacerations on her playing hand.
The duo, however, stuck to their guns and Kvitova returned to action in 2017 before making an emotional return to a third Grand Slam final at the 2019 Australian Open.