Petra Kvitova: Man who stabbed tennis star jailed for eight years

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Petra Kvitova's left hand was injured in the struggle to free herself

The man who stabbed tennis champion Petra Kvitova in her home in the Czech Republic has been sentenced to eight years in jail, local media report.

Radim Zondra, 33, went to her house in December 2016 saying he needed to inspect the boiler.

He then grabbed Kvitova from behind and held a knife to her throat. She suffered severe wounds to her left hand in the struggle to free herself.

Appearing at a regional court in Brno, Zondra denied all charges against him.

Last month Kvitova delivered graphic testimony via video link, telling the court that there was “blood all over the place”.

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She added that she had offered him money to leave, eventually giving him 10,000 Czech crowns (£341; $440). The court has ordered him to pay this back.

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Judge Dagmar Bordovska said in her judgment Kvitova's testimony was credible, while witnesses who testified on behalf of Zondra were unreliable, CTK news agency reports.

The two-time Wimbledon champion suffered damage to ligaments and tendons in her playing hand, and had to have surgery. She returned to tennis five months later.

She is now in the US, competing in the Miami Open.