TWO-TIME Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova suffered severe injuries to her playing hand Tuesday defending herself from a knife-wielding intruder in her apartment, an attack she said left her “fortunate to be alive.”

    The tennis world No. 11 said she would need to consult specialists about the injury, and gave no indication when she might be able to play again.

    “In my attempt to defend myself, I was badly injured on my left hand,” she said on her Twitter account. “The injury is severe and I will need to see specialists, but if you know anything about me I am strong and I will fight this.”

    Kvitova, 26, was attacked in her flat in the city of Prostejov, about 260 kilometers southeast of Prague, the site of a tennis club where she, men’s world No. 10 Tomas Berdych and other top-ranked Czech tennis players train.

    Karel Tejkal, spokesman for the Czech Fed Cup team, told media the morning attack, which he described as a burglary, had been “a random criminal act” and she had not been specifically targeted.

    Kvitova has been a near constant in the world’s top 10 since 2011, rising as high as No. 2 that year, when she won the first of her two Wimbledon singles titles. She slipped in the rankings this year but showed improved form in recent months, winning the Wuhan Open title in October and the season-ending WTA Elite trophy in Zhuhai in November.

    (SD-Agencies)