Reluctant star Kvitova powers into big time

FIVE years ago Petra Kvitova did not think she was good enough to be a professional tennis player.

On Saturday, she gave Maria Sharapova a lesson in power hitting to win her first grand slam title at Wimbledon.

The 21-year-old hails from the small town of Fulnek in the east of the Czech Republic and trained at the prestigious Prostejov club, but she certainly does not fit the stereotype of the eastern European who grew up on a tennis court and was groomed for the top.