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Kvitova was injured on Tuesday when she fought off an
intruder in her home in the Czech Republic, damaging all the
fingers on her playing hand.
Following a successful operation, the world number 11 will begin
her rehabilitation in about six to eight weeks and hopes to be
able to grip a racket again after three months, publicist Katie
Spellman said.
"The best-case scenario is that Petra will be able to return to
the tennis court after six months," Spellman said in an email.
It was unclear when she might play in earnest again, "but Petra
is ready to do everything she can to get back competing at the
highest level."
The surgeon who operated on her, Radek Kebrle, said earlier on
Wednesday that Kvitova would be unable to subject the hand to
the pressures of competition until mid-2017.
"She is a young athlete, healthy... but it still is a relatively
massive injury," he told a televised news conference.
The Women's Tennis Association (WTA), the organizing body for
the women's professional game, said it regretted Kvitova's
absence from the circuit and suggested her future in the sport
was uncertain.
"It's unclear if or when Kvitova will be back on the court, and
the start of 2017 won't be the same without her unique power and
competitive spirit," the WTA said on its website.
Aged 26, the hard-hitting left-hander rose to world number two
in 2011 when she won the first of her two Wimbledon singles
titles, and has been a mainstay of the top 10 virtually ever
since.
She slipped in the rankings this year but showed improved form
in recent months, winning the Wuhan Open title in October and
the season-ending WTA Elite trophy in November.
Czech police were still searching for her attacker, public
television reported.
(Reporting by Robert Muller; writing by John Stonestreet;
Editing by Toby Davis)
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