Petra Kvitova has admitted it "hurts" to lose the Australian Open final to Naomi Osaka but revealed she is grateful just to be playing tennis at the highest level again.
The 28-year-old gave a determined performance, taking the Japanese to three sets having looked down and out in the second, before succumbing to a 7-6, 5-7, 6-4 defeat.
It was her first appearance in a major final since December 2016, when an intruder at her home in the Czech Republic cut her left hand — the one she uses to play tennis — so badly that hours of surgery were required to repair it.
It was no surprise to see a visibly emotional Kvitova struggling to get her words out when presented with the runners-up trophy. But she said being in the final was a special moment after her traumatic experience two years ago.
"It's hurting a lot today. I wanted to win and have the trophy," Kvitova said during the post-match presentation.
"But I think I already won two years ago. So, for me, it's amazing. I think I still don't really realise that I played the final.
"I've been through many, many things, not really great ones. As I said on the court, I didn't know if I'm going to hold the racket again. I'm holding it, so that's good.
"There's still a few things which I can improve, and we'll do it. So it's not the end. I'll be back for sure.
In Pictures: Australian Open Tennis 2019: The Final Four
Kvitova's run to the final means she will sit behind Osaka in second place in the new WTA rankings when they are released on Monday, a sizeable leap considering the Czech had begun the tournament seeded eighth.
