When Petra Kvitova announced to the world at large that she would be taking a break from the tour, it was difficult for the eyes not to narrow, for the head not to jut backwards with just a tiny touch of cynicism. This was, after all, March rather than September. Three months into the year, and we were supposed to believe she was cooked with no choice but to temporarily step away.

The Wimbledon champion had certainly racked up the air miles in the opening events of the year, but then she lost early in Melbourne and the following events. This was not the schedule of somebody who had overplayed in her opening months. So when she did announce the decision, it puzzled. As always with Petra Kvitova, it's difficult to know where her natural inconsistency ends, and where the genuine physical and mental problems begin.

So, off she went, confounding all in her absence. Kvitova was missing in action for Indian Wells and Miami, only resurfacing in Fed Cup and then as the red clay season began in Stuttgart. She explained the reasons for her break there, by all accounts, with a striking candidness. After losing in her first match there, she arrived in Madrid and did the same.

But, strangely, it wasn't until Serena Williams spoke about Kvitova's decision that the break was really contextualized.

“Most people don't (take a break),” said Serena after losing to Kvitova. “Most people play through it and maybe go down a level or don't play well because they really need to take some time off.

Slowly they end up losing confidence and not playing as good as they can.  She was wise enough to realize that she needed a break, and she (allowed herself) to do well.”

Of all the people to fully understand, it seems strange to hear such empathy and understanding from Serena. But it shouldn't be a surprise. And that's not because, before their semifinal, the world No. 1 pronounced her “love” for the Czech, one of her favorite people on the tour. Nor because Kvitova responded by referring to Williams as a friend. No, it's not strange because this is precisely the kind of mentality behind Williams' presence on the tour at age 33.

In some ways, the tennis world is a perfect microcosm of society. Here, we have all these standards, fashions, and unwritten regulations we learn to adhere to without any real reason why. Many of the scheduling rules that govern the top players and penalize them when not followed are, of course, in order to assure that tournaments are protected and the top players support the tour they reap so much from.

But singles players play for themselves, and so if it feels necessary they should take a break for themselves, regardless of what anyone says. It should not be frowned upon, eyebrows should not raise, and heads should not shake if a player decides to step away from parts of a season to be fully prepared for the rest of it, or for any other reason.

There's no reason why, while feeling horribly and playing terribly that a player should hang around, stinking up every court they enter and compounding the problem with every match lost and every plane boarded. Serena didn't. It's why she is still standing and, at 33, still pushing to be the greatest of all time. And now Petra Kvitova hasn't. It's why she's off to Rome, taking with her the ugliest but perhaps the most satisfying and decision-affirming trophy she will ever win.

After her first win, a torrid 3-6 6-1 6-4 victory over the illustrious Olga Govortsova, Kvitova was ushered into a loud, bustling players lounge to answer questions into recording devices held centimetres from her mouth. It was as awkward and unproductive environment as one can imagine. During one answer, her eyes darted to the part of the room where Rafael Nadal, bending over his tennis bag, was obstructing traffic. During another, the loudspeaker calling players out to the courts completely derailed her train of thought.

But then she was asked about her thoughts on the clay, and she brightened up.

“I'm not really a fan of the clay. I'm a fan of the grass,” she chuckled. “Well, my coach is always telling me that clay should be one of the best surfaces. I'm not really into it yet (laughing). I need some time, of course. I won here so, for sure, I can play good on the clay. But it's nice to see and nice to know, but I'm not a fan yet.”

A reporter followed up the answer by asking, “So you're friends with the clay, but not dating it yet?” and so it was written.

This would be the trend of the week until the bitter end. With every victory and every improved performance, she looked towards that same reporter for the question and the look was duly reciprocated with the question of whether she and the clay were yet dating. From the firm “no” at the beginning of the week, there was a palpable progression by the end.

“Mmm, getting there.  I hope so.  I mean, for sure I'm not playing the clay game.  I'm not the runner as Svetlana is and catching a lot of balls.  I'm still playing my game, which I see that it's still paying off.”

“So that's important to know, that I can play still with my game the good tennis on the clay.  Yeah, I hope I'm dating (the clay) already.”

The final two performances from the Wimbledon champion were the level we have come to expect of her. She was flying – serving out of the sky, demolishing forehands, hooking backhands for perfect angles. As always when Peak Petra comes to town, it isn't just about the ball-striking. Against Serena, she glided to an awkward ball halfway up the court and dropped in a perfectly angled drops hot. A couple points later, she chased down a good drop shot and dispatched it for a clean winner. In the final, she served and volleyed and made the forecourt her own.

As usual, when seeing Kvitova playing at such a level, people constantly wish and wonder why this isn't the norm and why it doesn't happen regularly. Yet it is long since time this stopped. Kvitova can no longer be accused of underachieving when, at last count, the world No. 4 is holding 5 titles across all three outdoor surfaces, with a Grand Slam, two major Premier titles, and two regular Premier events to her name.

You get the feeling, too, that perhaps Kvitova herself has come to understand her inconsistency and to consciously accept it. After her victory, I asked her about the level that we see from her. About what is going through her mind when we see her crushing the ball, serving and volleying, hitting drop shots, and the like; about if she feels like she can do anything on the court in those glorious, fleeting moments. As the question wore on, her palm clapped her face, she chuckled into it, and then slowly slid down her chair.

When she was ready to answer, she was outright laughing.

“Did you see the double fault?”