Former champion Kvitova handed Wimbledon wildcard

LONDON :Two times Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova has been handed a wildcard to the women's singles draw after being ranked too low for direct entry, organisers said on Wednesday.

The Czech, winner at the All England Club in 2011 and 2014, began her comeback from a 17-month maternity break last February.

The 35-year-old, a former world number two, is currently 572nd in the WTA rankings. She lost in the first round of a WTA 500 event on grass at Queen's Club earlier this month.

Kvitova was the only non-British player on the initial list of wildcards, which includes former British men's number one Dan Evans.