Man who stabbed two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova jailed

A man who stabbed two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in her home was sentenced to eight years in prison on Tuesday.

Petra Kvitova, of the Czech Republic, returns a volley to Caroline Garcia, of France, during the Miami Open tennis tournament, Monday, March 25, 2019, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Joel Auerbach)

A man who stabbed two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in her home was sentenced to eight years in prison on Tuesday.

Radim Zondra, 33, was convicted of causing Kvitova serious bodily harm by a regional court in Brno.

The state prosecutor requested 12 years for Zondra, who pleaded not guilty to attacking Kvitova in December 2016 in her apartment in Prostejov.

Petra Kvitova, of the Czech Republic. Picture: AP Photo/Joel Auerbach

Kvitova’s spokesman, Karel Tejkal, said she “respects the ruling of an independent court.” “She’s satisfied with the verdict because she identified the convicted person as the attacker,” Tejkal said.

Zondra can appeal, and so can the prosecution.

Kvitova had surgery on injuries to her playing left hand. It took the tennis star more than five months to recover.

Kvitova reached the Australian Open final in January, her first Grand Slam final since her second Wimbledon title in 2014.

Radim Zondra, is escorted from the Regional court in Brno, Czech Republic. Picture: Monika Hlavacova/CTK via AP

She is ranked a career-high No. 2. Kvitova is at the Miami Open this week, facing Ashleigh Barty in the quarterfinals, and will rise to No. 1 if she wins the title. Her testimony provided key evidence for the court to rule in the case, Judge Dagmar Bordovska said.

Kvitova testified she opened the door when Zondra rang the doorbell because she expected a possible doping control. The suspect claimed he came to inspect her boiler.

In the attack, Kvitova sustained damage to the tendons in her hand, along with injuries to all five fingers and two nerves, and underwent nearly four hours of surgery.

While bleeding, she said she offered Zondra money. He accepted 10,000 Czech crowns ($440) and left.

Zondra is currently serving a prison term for a different crime.

Originally published as Man who stabbed two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova jailed