The first week of the 2017 French Open was truly the comeback story of Petra Kvitova, who marked a successful return to the professional Tour after sustaining injuries when she was attacked at her home in December 2016.

The Czech, who was defeated in the second round by Bethanie Mattek-Sands, received wholehearted support and applause – from the fans and her fellow players – to welcome her back into the tennis circuit.

While the French Open may have been the first step towards her regaining her lost strides in tennis, the two-time Major champion looks to have a long road ahead. Especially, in the wake of what she has had to say about her rehabilitation from the injuries she suffered to her left hand.

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“I still don’t feel two of my fingers which were damaged and this is just how I’m taking it,” the former world No 2 said, according to a CNN report published on Friday. “I have [the injury] and I’m just playing with what I have. The feeling is weird, I have to say. One day it’s good, one day it’s not as good. Sometimes you have a good card, sometime you don’t have a good card and you just have to play with what you have.”

Kvitova’s doctors had given her a time span of six months to get back to the sport’s fold. However, the two-time former Wimbledon champion, spurred herself on to rejoin the sport in merely five months.

“At the beginning, when the Australian Open was on, I was really sad,” Kvitova said. “Just watching from the sofa when the other people are competing for the trophy wasn’t a great feeling. Maybe that’s why the motivation became bigger and bigger. I wasn’t trying to think about the tennis because if I did, my mentality was a little bit down because I couldn’t play.”