(CNN)The setting is as modest as you would expect for one of tennis' most unassuming champions.
There is no posh clubhouse or restaurant nearby. Behind one baseline, about 20 yards away, rests a row of nice, yet modest, houses; behind the other, an empty lot.
And to one side of the tennis court stands a church, which towers over a small running track and swings.
It's the type of surroundings where a parent practicing with a young child just starting out in tennis wouldn't seem out of place. The court itself, described as synthetic grass, is decidedly humble, too.
And on a sunny day in the charming Czech city of Prostejov, this is where Petra Kvitova was gearing up for her title defense at Wimbledon -- the tournament that shot her to stardom as a shy 21-year-old when she won it for the first time in 2011.
Kvitova appears right in her element as she shares the court with her longtime coach David Kotyza and new, humorous fitness trainer David Vydra.
Staying true to her down-to-earth persona, Kvitova had earlier told CNN's Open Court crew to follow her car so they wouldn't get lost on the way to the practice court.
For almost 10 years Kvitova has spent ample time fine-tuning her game in Prostejov -- closer to Vienna than Prague, and with a population of about 50,000.
Kvitova describes 'perfect' match 01:40
She feels right at home at the city's main tennis facility about a 10-minute drive away, where the likes of fellow Czech grand slam finalists Tomas Berdych and Lucie Safarova also train.
When asked if she would relocate to the capital when her career is over, the 25-year-old replies: "No, it's too big."
What then, would Kvitova make of London or New York?
"I'm the kind of person who likes to stay at home as long as possible," says Kvitova, who was born in the small town of Bilovec.
"I don't like to be in the tournament too far ahead, many days there. Practicing and waiting it's more tiring so I prefer to stay as long as I can here and then go (to England) and practice on the grass three or four days and then go to play the match."
Call Kvitova the small-town woman with the big game.
Her flat, fierce ground strokes are especially potent on grass, with the shorter rallies meaning her effortless power is less likely to go astray. Anyone who witnessed last year's clash against Eugenie Bouchard will tell you it was one of the finest performances in a grand slam final, the left-hander prevailing 6-3 6-0 at the All England Club.
Kvitova: From underdog to world number 8 04:31
Kvitova began her quest for a third Venus Rosewater dish on Tuesday, triumphing 6-1 6-0 in just over half an hour against Dutchwoman Kiki Bertens on Center Court. It's a much more intimidating arena than where she normally trains, but Kvitova is equally at ease there.
"Every time I'm there my feeling is like home, so it feels well," Kvitova said of Wimbledon's showcase court. "Of course this time with the nerves I will have it's not easy to handle, but that's how it is."
Last year was "an unbelievable year for me in the tournament, and it's something really positive that you can say you are defending the title, so I will try not to put too much pressure on myself."
Kvitova's current season has hardly been straightforward.
Exhausted, more mentally than anything else, she made the unusual decision to take a break from tennis after Kotyza first suggested it to her. Kvitova missed the two most prestigious regular-season tournaments outside the four majors, Indian Wells and Miami, and was off the circuit for about six weeks.
Then at the French Open she was upset by Timea Bacsinszky, extending her run of no grand slam quarterfinals -- apart from Wimbledon -- to nine. About a week after her training block in Prostejov, Kvitova withdrew from a Wimbledon warmup in Eastbourne this month due to illness, and until Tuesday hadn't played a competitive match on grass since crushing Bouchard almost 12 months ago.
How Novak and Petra conquered Wimbledon 08:12
Asked to describe her 2015 season, Kvitova used the word "weird."
"It was a really difficult time for me," the world No. 2 said, referring to her extended layoff.
"I really didn't know what I should do at that moment. Missing two big tournaments was not really an easy decision. I think every player has kind of this situation. It depends on how they deal with it. I took the time off and I'm happy I did it."
When she returned to the tour in April, Kvitova said she received support from her fellow players, including world No. 1 Serena Williams.
"She was wise enough to realize she needed a break," Williams told reporters in Madrid in May. "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."
Even with Kvitova's success at Wimbledon, Williams is the substantial favorite at SW19 this year. She won the Australian Open and French Open to lift her grand slam tally to 20, and if she triumphs in London the American will complete the "Serena Slam" for the second time in her career, having started the sequence with last September's U.S. Open.
But if Williams and Kvitova meet in the final, the latter probably won't be overawed: Serena's lone loss of 2015 came against the Czech in Madrid.
"She has a dangerous game," three-time Wimbledon champion Chris Evert said of Kvitova in a conference call in the middle of June.
No matter what happens at Wimbledon, Kvitova's future plans likely won't change. She wants to have kids one day, like her good friend Li Na. The Chinese superstar quit tennis last September and gave birth to a daughter at the start of this month.
"I'm still 25 and I think I still have a lot of things ahead -- and I think I have already done a lot," said Kvitova. "I have dreams and motivations not only in tennis but in life as well.
"And when I'm going to finish my career, I would like to have a normal family and normal life, as any other normal girl."
