Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/765642
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 21 DECEMBER 2016 20 Sport SPORTTODAY TENNIS FOOTBALL Kvitova 'fortunate to be alive' after being stabbed in burglary at her home TWO-TIME Wimbledon cham- pion Petra Kvitova suffered se- vere injuries to her playing hand on Tuesday defending herself from a knife-wielding intruder in her apartment, an attack she said left her "fortunate to be alive". The tennis world number 11 said she would need to consult specialists about the injury, and gave no indication when she might be able to play again. "In my attempt to defend my- self, I was badly injured on my left hand," she said on her Twit- ter account @Petra_Kvitova. "The injury is severe and I will need to see specialists, but if you know anything about me I am strong and I will fight this." Kvitova was attacked in her f lat in the city of Prostejov, about 260 km (160 miles) southeast of Prague, the site of a tennis club where she, men's world number 10 Tomas Berdych and other top-ranked Czech tennis players train. Karel Tejkal, spokesman for the Czech Fed Cup team, told Czech media the morning attack had been "a random criminal act" and she had not been spe- cifically targeted. The Czech Republic won the Fed Cup, the premier national team competition in women's tennis, for the third year in a row in November. The website of newspaper Mla- da Fronta Dnes said the intruder presented himself to Kvitova as a boiler inspector. "What has happened to me was not pleasant at all, but it is al- ready behind me," she said in an earlier statement issued on the Fed Cup team's Facebook page. "The main thing for me now is that the doctors will determine how my hand is doing. I trust them and I believe that it will end well." The hard-hitting left-hander has been a near constant in the world's Top 10 since 2011, rising as high as number 2 that year, when she won the first of her two Wimbledon singles titles. She slipped in the rankings this year but showed improved form in recent months, winning the Wuhan Open title in Octo- ber and the season-ending WTA Elite trophy in November. In 1993, then-world number 1 Monica Seles was stabbed court- side during a break at a tourna- ment in Germany by a man who admitted having an obsession with her rival Steffi Graf. The attack forced Seles out of tennis for two years. Petra Kvitova Newcastle's Shelvey handed five-match ban for racial abuse NEWCASTLE United midfielder Jonjo Shelvey has been banned for five matches and fined 100,000 pounds for racially abusing an opponent, the English FA said on Tuesday. Shelvey, 24, was charged with using abusive or insulting words towards Wolverhampton Wan- derers' Moroccan midfielder Ro- main Saiss in a Championship match in September. "It was further alleged that this breach was an 'Aggravated Breach' as it included reference to ethnic origin and/or race and/or nationality," the FA said. Shelvey, who denied the charge at an independent hearing, was ordered to attend an FA educa- tion course. The England international, who has also played for Liverpool and Swansea City, has seven days to appeal against the decision. Newcastle lead the second-tier standings by one point after 22 matches. Leicester appeal against Vardy red card at Stoke LEICESTER City have appealed to the Football Association (FA) against the referee's decision to dismiss striker Jamie Vardy dur- ing Saturday's 2-2 draw with Stoke City in the Premier League. The 29-year-old, who was the club's top-scorer last season, was shown a straight red card in the 28th minute by Craig Pawson for a two-footed tackle on Mame Di- ouf. "The Club has subsequently made its case for an instance of wrongful dismissal and expects to hear the outcome of the ap- peal in the coming days," Premier League champions Leicester said on their website. (www.lcfc.com) Leicester, currently 15th in the table, host Everton on Dec. 26 and West Ham United on Dec. 31, before visiting Middlesbrough on Jan. 2, with Vardy set to miss all three fixtures if he loses the appeal. Jamie Vardy Jonjo Shelvey