Prizes awarded by colleagues are particularly important. Petra Kvitova and Lucie Safarova, who have once again been honoured by the WTA, also know this.
The Czech Fed Cup team may have taken a break in 2017 at the head of the most important team competition, but the individual awards given by the Women’s League went to two women players from the Czech Republic: Petra Kvitova was once again honoured with the Karen Krantzke Prize as the fairest player, Lucie Safarova with the Peachey Kellmeyer Award for her
Kvitova was late into the tennis season after the attack on her home and the injury to her hand, but she won the title in Birmingham and showed at the US Open with two stirring matches against Garbine Muguruza and Venus Williams that she is still a member of the absolute world elite. Even though Petra Kvitova’s final world ranking for the year 2017 is only 29th.
“I know I’ve won this prize a few times,”said Kvitova,”but this year is something very special for me because I missed the first part of the season. We are fighters, we are opponents, but on the other hand, we are also colleagues. For me, mutual respect is the most important thing.”
Lucie Safarova has been a member of the WTA Players’ Council since 2009, and continues to be committed to the interests of her colleagues,”I feel honored to win the Peachy Kellmeyer Award for the fourth time,”said Safarova,”It’s a very special feeling to be honored by the other players, and it makes me very happy.