Prague | Kvitova marries Vanek

Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova announced her marriage to longtime partner and coach, Jiri Vanek, on social media on Sunday, having tied the knot in the Czech Republic the previous day.

Mr and Mrs... 22.7.2023 Petra Kvitova

The 33-year old captioned a photo of the couple, hand-in-hand in front of a picturesque background, simply, ‘Mr and Mrs’, followed by the date of their marriage, 22.7.2023.

Hologic WTA Tour co-founder Billie Jean King, current World No 1 Iga Swiatek and former No 1 Angelique Kerber were among those who congratulated Kvitova, popular amongst her peers on tour, in the comments of her Instagram post.

Kvitova and Vanek, her coach for the last 7 years, who have been a couple off the court since 2021, got engaged last year, with Vanek proposing at Wimbledon.

“Happy news we wanted to share with you guys,” Kvitova wrote on Instagram last summer announcing their engagement. “I said ‘yes’ in my special place.”

On the court this year, Vanek has watched Kvitova win two titles, in Miami and Berlin.

Kvitova’s win over Elena Rybakina in the final of the Miami Open in March marked her first WTA 1000 victory in 5 years, a triumph that catapulted her back into the world’s Top 10.

The couple shared photos from the day of their wedding, which took place in a luxury resort just outside of Prague, with only those closest to the couple in attendance, including Barbora Strycova, a long-time friend and colleague of Kvitova’s, among those present.

“Congratulations! I’m happy for you,” Swiatek wrote, while Kerber posted: “Congrats,” and adding two heart emojis.

Britain’s Harriet Dart couldn’t contain her excitement about the wedding, which was apparent by her comment on the Czech’s Instagram post: “Petra,” Dart wrote, adding two smiling faces with heart eyes emojis.

Slovak tennis player Magdalena Rybarikova wrote: “Congratulations to you guys.”; while Cagla Buyukakcay, a Turkish player, was the next to congratulate the star couple, writing: “Congratulations.”

Belgian tennis ace and 4-time Grand Slam winner Kim Clijsters was next on the list, adding: “Congratulations !” with two heart emojis, and echoed by Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur.

Petra Kvitova with her partner and coach Jiri Vanek after winning the final against Donna Vekic at the bett1open 2023 Berlin at LTTC Rot-Weiß e.V. in June