Petra Kvitova attacker charged by Czech prosecutor in 2016 knife attack case

A Czech state prosecutor has charged a 33-year-old man with assault over a knife attack in 2016 on the two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, a spokesman said on Friday.

Czech tennis star Kvitova sustained injuries to the tendons in the fingers and thumb or her left hand when the attacker stabbed her at her apartment. She had to undergo complex surgery and was unable to compete for several months.

The spokesman for the prosecutor said a man, 33, was charged with assault over a knife attack on a woman in the town of Prostejov on Dec. 20, 2016.

If found guilty, the man could faced a prison term of between 5 and 12 years, the spokesman said. He did not give any names but the date and location match those of the attack on Kvitova.

Kvitova is due to play at the WTA Finals in Singapore in the last week of October.