Petra Kvitova has had a season to forget in 2017. The two-time Wimbledon champion was the victim of a horrific knife attack back in December, an attack that she only recently returned from. Having missed the first half of the 2017 season, Kvitova appeared to be on a roll following her return to tennis. After an early-round exit at the French Open, she enjoyed a title run in Birmingham.

A short time later, however, Kvitova withdrew from WTA Eastbourne and not long after that, she fell in Wimbledon's 2nd round. The recent news with Kvitova is that she has pulled out of the quickly approaching WTA Bastad 2017 tournament in Sweden.

Kvitova's problems continue

WTA Bastad, also known as the Ericsson Open, will be running from July 24 to July 30. The clay-court event follows the men's event at the same venue, one where David Ferrer will face Alexandr Dolgopolov on Sunday. Kvitova was expected in Bastad, but the official homepage for the tournament updated some bad news about the Czech player on Friday.

According to a posting from July 21, "Petra Kvitova is injured and must withdraw from Ericsson Open starting Sunday 23rd of July" (no author listed). The same source mentioned the "stomach injury that she incurred in Eastbourne before Wimbledon," one that "has not yet healed."

That the Eastbourne injury "has not yet healed" means that Kvitova put her body to the test at the All England Club at a time when she probably should have been resting.

While Bastad is a low-tiered tournament on the WTA tour, there are upcoming events that the Czech will certainly want to be in full health for. Perhaps it's Toronto, Cincinnati, and the US Open that she has in mind right now as she pulls out of Bastad. Furthermore, Kvitova has often participated in the New Haven draw over the years, a tournament played just ahead of the Grand Slam from Flushing Meadows.

Bacsinszky also withdraws

While losing Kvitova does remove a star player from the Ericsson Open, the players' list for WTA Bastad isn't devoid of top talent.

Caroline Wozniacki is in the field and she can still hope for a top-five finish this season. Two-time French Open semifinalist Timea Bacsinszky was looking dangerous in the field of players, but she has recently withdrawn due to an injury from Gstaad, one that will sideline her until New Haven.

Irina Camelia Begu and Kiki Bertens are also on the players' list. However, these two players are involved in finals this weekend in other events and that makes them withdrawal risks for Bastad. The players' list is always subject to change, but the field looks solid enough in its present state that the event should be competitive. At this point, former World No. 1 Wozniacki stands out as a major threat following her result from Roland Garros.