Champion Petra Kvitova returns to Birmingham
Defending champion Petra Kvitova and former winner Madison Keys will join British No.1 Johanna Konta in a star-studded field for this summer’s Nature Valley Classic Birmingham.
The tournament, which will take place from June 15-23 at the Edgbaston Priory Club,will see Kvitova bidding to make history as only the second player in the tournament’s 37-year history to win it three times.
Pam Shriver, who reigned supreme on the Edgbaston Priory grass courts from 1984-1987, is the only other player to achieve a hat-trick of titles.
Two-time Wimbledon champion Kvitova said: “Birmingham is one of the events on the calendar that I look forward to the most. I have beautiful memories from winning the title the past two years.
"The tournament has a special atmosphere and makes the players feel so welcome. It will be amazing to be back there this summer.”
Kvitova has been playing some of the best tennis of her career in recent months, including an impressive run to the final of the Australian Open which saw the Czech come close to taking the WTA World No.1 spot for the first time in her career.
She is currently ranked No.3 in the world.
Keys won the WTA Premier title in Birmingham in 2016 and has also been a finalist at the 2017 US Open, a semi-finalist at the Australian Open and Roland Garros and a quarter-finalist at Wimbledon.
