Petra Kvitova eyeing shock return from hand injury at French Open

The 27-year-old suffered serious injuries to her racket-holding left hand in an attack by an intruder at her apartment in the Czech Republic in December.

The t wo-time Wimbledon champion was expected to miss most of the 2017 season but she announced on social media that she will be submitting her entry for Roland Garros, which begins on May 22, after making progress in her recovery.

She posted on Instagram: "Hello everyone! I wanted to provide a quick (and hopefully positive) update for you.

"My name will appear on the entry list for Roland Garros tomorrow because, as the entry deadline approached, I had made good progress in my recovery process and I want to give myself every last opportunity to be able to compete at one of my favourite events.

"This unfortunately does not mean necessarily that I will be ready to play in Paris, but that I'm doing everything possible to give myself the chance and keep a positive mindset.

"There remains a long road ahead but I wanted to share this update with you. Thanks for your continued support and I hope to see you soon, Petra."