Petra Kvitova pulls out of Fed Cup tie against Romania

Australian Open finalist Petra Kvitova will not play in the first-round Fed Cup tie as the Czech Republic face Romania on February 9-10, Czech media said Sunday, quoting her manager.

“She defends her titles in St Petersburg the week before that and in Doha the week after,” manager Miroslav Cernosek told the website of the DNES broadsheet daily.

“Neither I nor captain Petr Pala expect her to take part,” he said, adding however that he expected Kvitova to join the Fed Cup team later.

“She has always played... when she could. She is not one of those looking for excuses,” he added.

Fed Cup team spokesman Karel Tejkal declined to confirm the information for AFP.

With Kvitova on the team, the Czechs have won six of the last eight Fed Cups.

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In last year’s final, they swept the US team 3-0 in Prague.

The 28-year-old Kvitova, the Wimbledon champion from 2011 and 2014, lost to Japan’s Naomi Osaka 6-7 (2/7), 7-5, 4-6 in the Australian Open final on Saturday.

It was Kvitova’s first Grand Slam final since a knife-wielding robber cut her left hand two years ago.

Her Australian Open performance will propel her to the second spot in the WTA rankings on Monday, equalling her top ranking from 2011 and 2012.

The highest-ranking Czech player available for the tie against Romania in the eastern Czech city of Ostrava is now Australian Open semi-finalist Karolina Pliskova.

Romania will rely on Simona Halep, who is still the world number one until Monday when she will be replaced by Osaka.