Petra Kvitova forced to pull out of Hopman Cup
Tuesday 20 December 2016 11:44, UK
Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova has been forced to pull out of the Hopman Cup as she continues to recover from a foot injury.
The 26-year-old had been due to line up alongside Adam Pavlasek to represent Czech Republic at the season-opening mixed-teams event in Perth from January 1.
World No 11 Kvitova will instead continue to work on her fitness and she now faces a battle to be fit in time for the Australian Open which gets underway in Melbourne on January 16.
"I am so disappointed I will be unable to play at the Hopman Cup," said Kvitova.
"The results of a scan have confirmed that my foot is healing but not as quickly as we would have liked."
Kvitova has been replaced by three-time doubles Grand Slam champion and two-time Olympic medallist Lucie Hradecka.
Switzerland's Roger Federer is the biggest name at the tournament as he prepares to partner Belinda Bencic on his return from injury.
Australia, France, Germany, Britain, Spain and USA are also competing.
