Kvitova withdraws from Eastbourne event

London: Petra Kvitova has pulled out of the Wimbledon warm-up at Eastbourne this week with an abdominal injury, the WTA reported on Monday.

News of the 27-year-old Czech’s absence came 24 hours after the two-time Wimbledon champion made a triumphant comeback from a knife attack by lifting the Birmingham title.

“Petra Kvitova has withdrawn from Eastbourne with an abdominal injury,” the WTA announced on their official twitter page.

Kvitova beat Australian Ashleigh Barty 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the final of the grass-court event in Birmingham.

In December, she suffered severe injuries to her left playing hand while fighting off a knife-wielding burglar at her home.

Kvitova, meanwhile, moved up to 12th in the WTA rankings released on Monday. The Czech — who hit a career-high number two ranking in October 2011 — will be bidding to add to her two Wimbledon titles in 2011 and 2014 starting on July 3.

Birmingham runner-up Ashleigh Barty of Australia moved up 23 places to 54th in the rankings dominated by Germany’s Angelique Kerber ahead of Romanian Simona Halep and Czech Karolina Pliskova.