Kvitova wins opening match on grass in Birmingham

But Grass has always been the 27-year-old's preferred service and Kvitova quickly hit her straps at the Aegon Championship, racing to a 6-2 first-set lead. I do have my mental coach who I was working with him a lot on this as well, but I have to say that people around me, family and friends helped me a lot as well.

Czech Republic's Petra Kvitova celebrates winning her first round match against USA's Julia Boserup in Paris, May 28, 2017. "In Wimbledon, it feels so quiet, so comfy, like for me as a home".

She says she's looking forward to being back at Wimbledon again, her favorite tournament. "It is just more relaxed for me, it is wonderful", she said. That win was a surprise for me and other people. "The second one was more special, deeper, I really enjoyed it more", said the Czech.

"My hand is not 100 percent and may never be".

She added: "I need to live with it".

"Of course I still have to be careful about things".

There has also been a healing process psychologically as she dealt with the shock of the violent intrusion in her house.

"I often felt like a rookie", Muguruza said. The first days, first months, were very hard mentally as well, I do have my mental coach so I was working with him a lot on this but I have to say that people around me, family and friends, helped me a lot as well.

She is now ranked 16th in the world, her position not slipping too far due to a relatively quick comeback, so she should not get an unduly harsh draw.

2015 Roland Garros champion and former Wimbledon runner-up Garbine Muguruza, seeded six in Birmingham, is up against Russian qualifier Elizaveta Kulichkova; while third seed Dominka Cibulkova and risky unseeded floater Lucie Safarova face off in one of the most eagerly anticipated matches of day two.

"I came here early to practise and try to do the right things". Probably I have never enjoyed tennis as much I do know - it is a handsome feeling, I have to say. "I don't miss the nerves - I am always very nervous".

"I just somehow had to figure it out". "I took four or five days off, and now I want to keep going for the year".

"So I'm glad that now I can focus on tennis, especially on the grass".