When Petra Kvitova won her maiden grand slam title in 2011, the young up-and-comer was not ready to shoulder the weighty expectation that accompanies a Wimbledon champion.
Pressure: Petra Kvitova celebrates her second Wimbledon triumph this year. Photo: Getty Images
Now, as the 24-year-old Czech prepares for her Australian summer campaign, she is once again wearing the reigning Wimbledon champion cap, but this time around she is far more comfortable with being the hunted rather than the hunter.
Three years ago, Kvitova was still perfecting the thumping left-handed forehand and a blistering serve, which have become the hallmarks of her game. Although she was generating chatter as an emerging star, no one had expected the then-21-year-old to make the 2011 Wimbledon finals, let alone win.
"Not even me," she admitted.
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After disposing of Maria Sharapova in two sets in the final, and producing 36 aces throughout her Wimbledon campaign, it seemed like the dawn of a new era.
What followed, however, was three consecutive seasons without a final, and a record peppered with early-round defeats. While her 2012 campaign got off to a promising start, reaching the semi-finals of the Australian and French Opens, they remained her best results in a major tournament until her second Wimbledon victory this year.
The last two years, in particular, proved disappointing, with her US and French Open campaigns ending in the third round. But nowhere has Kvitova stumbled harder than in Melbourne, where her hopes of improving upon a second-round defeat in the 2013 Australian Open were dashed this year. She was unceremoniously dismissed by world No. 88 Luksika Kumkhum in her opening match.
Kvitova rejected the negative implications one might glean from her inconsistent career record. "I don't think the three years between the two Wimbledons wins was all bad. I was still playing good tennis," she said.
However, psychological pressures, she hinted, were a factor. "I was a little up and down across the seasons and in the matches as well. It was a difficult time. Probably I needed some time to recognise everything that was going on with me."
In June this year, Kvitova proved her demons were conquered, blitzing Eugenie Bouchard on Wimbledon's centre court in just 55 minutes - the fifth-shortest women's final match in the tournament's history.
With a second grand slam trophy now adorning her cabinet, offering a point of comparison and reflection, the difference between her two Wimbledon triumphs is "quite big", she said.
"This year I knew exactly what to do. There was more pressure. I was the favourite of the match every time."
In addition to Wimbledon, Kvitova also proved her ferocity on the hard courts, winning the Connecticut Open and Wuhan Open in China. For the first time since 2011 she produced a top-five season, finishing the year ranked fourth in the world. "I'm happy with my season. I started very slowly, very disappointingly in Australia but the second part of the year was great. Of course next year I will try to better this year."
Her first major challenge will be in Melbourne next month where, as with every grand slam, veteran world No. 1 Serena Williams looms as the most menacing threat.
And while wagers circulate on who, if anyone, will dominate the circuit when Williams retires, the 33-year-old remains the favourite to pick up yet another Australian Open title. She already has five to her name. Having lost to Williams in their past five encounters, Kvitova knows the "Serena factor" is not to be underestimated.
"She can always play her best in the important points. When she's serving well she's very difficult to break her serve. But still she's human, so we'll see."