Petra Kvitova was referred to as a ‘Czechoslovakian’ during her first round match at Wimbledon
Petra Kvitova registered a commendable victory in her opening-round match at Wimbledon 2023. The No.9 seed was dragged to the third set by Italy’s Jasmine Paoline but Kvitova held her nerves to emerge victorious. She got the better of the Italian in three sets 6-4, 6-7, 6-1 in a hard-fought encounter that lasted more than two hours. However, the talking point of the match was a basic error from the Wimbledon broadcasters who referred to Kvitova as a ‘Czechoslovakian’.
The incident occurred when Kvitova was serving during the second set. A piece of graphic popped up on the screen which read: “Petra Kvitova (Czech No. 1) is one of the 11 Czechoslovakians entered in the ladies singles draw, four of whom are ranked inside the top 20”. The picture went viral in no time and fans on social media were quick to remind the broadcasters that the country Czechoslovakia hasn’t been in existence since 1992.
Let us take a look at some of the reactions from fans.
Petra Kvitova was born in the erstwhile Czechoslovakia
Petra Kvitova was born on March 8, 1990, in Bílovec, Czechoslovakia, which was a country in Central Europe at the time of her birth. However, Czechoslovakia ceased to exist on January 1, 1993 and was peacefully split into two separate countries: the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Therefore, Petra Kvitova has competed under the Czech Republic flag throughout her career. It was an unacceptable error from the Wimbledon broadcasters and some fans have demanded that they issue a public apology to both Kvitova and the citizens of Czech Republic.
Czechoslovakia was split into two separate countries, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, through a process known as the “Velvet Divorce.” This division was primarily driven by political and economic factors, as well as growing nationalist sentiments within the two regions. The Velvet Divorce led to the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia on January 1, 1993, creating two separate countries: the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The split was largely amicable and aimed to preserve stability and prevent potential conflicts between the two nations.
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