NEW HAVEN, CT, USA - Petra Kvitova is happy to be back playing at the highest level - but knows how fortunate she is to be playing at all.

"I don't really have any expectations," Kvitova said to journalists this week in a conference call from Toronto. "For me right now, it's just a miracle I can play."

The 27-year-old suffered severe injuries to her left hand when she was attacked by a knife-wielding intruder in her home last year.

"The injury was very bad," Kvitova explained. "There were a lot of risks, that something could happen. If one finger is not working, probably I'm not playing again. All five fingers had to be operated on. There was a big percentage I could not play. I really worked hard to come back."

Following successful surgery, though, the World No.14 returned to the court at the French Open - and after the Rogers Cup in Toronto she will be heading to New Haven for the Connecticut Open, where she is a three-time champion.

Kvitova admits she is still not fully fit - but says her hand is not painful, and the movement is improving all the time.

"I'm just trying to do what I can with what I have right now," she said. "It's not perfect, but the hand is still improving.

"I'm glad my hand is not in any pain. That's the most important thing. Now I'm not thinking about the hand but on my game. It's taking time. I just want to play well and compete on a high level - but it will take time to get there."