Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova won her first game since her first child was born before saying she was close to quitting tennis.
The Czech Republic beat Romania's Irina Camelia Begu 7-5 6-1 in the first round of the Italian Open in Rome.
Her victory ended four failures since the 35-year-old returned to the competitive action 15 months later, during which she gave birth to a son, Petr.
Kvitova, who won Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014 and won second place in the world, said she doubts she will return to the international arena.
She told the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) website: “I would never come back then. I had enough tennis at the time. I thought, 'I can't do it again' – so we decided to try a baby.”
“I didn't say anything because it wasn't 100%. When I could finally do something after I got pregnant, I played some tennis and it felt good. I was laughing. I played very well, I hit every shot and I was like, 'Wow- it's still there'.”
Kvitova will now play Tunisia's No. 36 World on Foro Italico's Clay Court in the second round of the tournament.
