But is she prepared?
Tuesday 30 June 2015 22:22, UK
Serena Williams may be the favourite to claim her sixth Wimbledon crown but defending champion Petra Kvitova often saves her best form for the tournament she also won in 2011, her breakthrough year on the WTA Tour.
The Czech can be unplayable on her day, with a fast serve and powerful groundstrokes but she has been bedevilled by inconsistency throughout her career.
Kvitova became the first male or female player born in the 1990s to win a Grand Slam when she defeated 2004 champion Maria Sharapova to win the Wimbledon title four years ago, but she has struggled this season to cope with the rigours of the modern game.
The 25-year-old missed events in Dubai and Doha in February, citing physical and mental exhaustion, while the top seed was also forced to pull out of the Aegon International in Eastbourne due to a viral illness.
That leaves Kvitova without any competitive time on grass in the build-up to Wimbledon, although she insists that should not be a problem on her favourite surface.
Tournament victories in Sydney and Madrid earlier in the season should also boost her confidence, especially as she defeated Serena Williams for the first time in six attempts on her way to victory in Spain.
First up for Kvitova at this year's Wimbledon will be No 108 ranked Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands, with Britain's Laura Robson or Jelena Jankovic potential third round opponents.
Kvitova can't face Serena Williams until the final on July 11 a factor which, combined with her maiden victory over the American earlier in the year, should boost her confidence and allow her valuable time to get into her stride, having been out of competitive action since being knocked out of the French Open at the fourth round stage by Timea Bacsinszky.
Kvitova has never progressed further than the semi-finals at Roland Garros or at the Australian Open, with both of those achieved back in 2012, while her US Open record is even more disappointing for a player who has proven herself capable of winning on the big stage.
She is yet to make it past round four at Flushing Meadows and it is her inconsistency, on both favoured and unfavoured playing surfaces, that has led her to focus as much on the mental side of her game as the physical or tactical and seek the help of a specialist coach over the years.
Everyone knows how to hit a forehand and backhand, so once you get to the top level it’s the head that’s deciding results.
“I’ve been working with a mental coach for five years now. He travels to some tournaments with me, but I don’t think he will come to Wimbledon," she told Sport Magazine in the build-up to the tournament.
"Working on the mental side of your game takes so much time and it’s hard work, but he has helped me to be more focused and relaxed during matches.
"Everyone knows how to hit a forehand and backhand, so once you get to the top level it’s the head that’s deciding results."
Whether Kvitova's head will be in the right frame of mind during Wimbledon fortnight remains to be seen but she has one final factor in her favour.
Carla Suarez Navarro has proved to be Kvitova's nemesis this year, beating her on three separate occasions in 2015.
The Spaniard is in the top half of the draw at the All England Club though, meaning Kvitova is only likely to cross paths with the clay court specialist on the practice courts or in the locker room.
