Petra Kvitova is the guarantor of success in the Czech team. She could win her sixth Fed Cup title this weekend. The host team’s opponent in Prague is a US team with a strong weak substitution.
Petra Kvitova has had some relaxing days. Days full of joy – with good and special news. In the Czech Republic there is now a coin with the portrait of the 28-year-old. In addition, she won the “Heart Award”, an award given for special merits in the Fed Cup.
Kvitova experienced a little change before the final on Saturday and Sunday in the o2-Arena in Prague against the USA during a trip with her little niece to Disneyland Paris.
The seventh in the world rankings could lead her team to their sixth Fed Cup title in the past eight years this weekend. A fabulous record. Since 2011, only the USA (2017) and Italy (2013) have been able to break into the Czech phalanx.
A merit of captain Petr Pala, who manages again and again to bring his girls in line. There is probably no team in which the team spirit is lived as authentically as in the “Czech Crew”. Pala deliberately lets the reins slip: When the German selection competed in the final of the series winner in Prague in 2014, Kvitova was allowed to spend a lot of time with her parents Jiri and Pavla, who live in the same hotel.
Not infrequently, one Czech sits in the box with the other at matches on the WTA Tour to support her. “We have a great team. Everyone is looking forward to the Fed Cup weeks of the season,” said Kvitova, who won 30 of her 40 individual matches in the most important team competition in tennis. In the semi-final against Germany (4:1) last April she defeated Angelique Kerber as well as Julia Görges.
After the knife attack of a burglar in her apartment in December 2016, the left-handed woman has long since made it back into the top ten. In the first half of the year, Kvitova, who was extremely popular with her colleagues in the WTA circuit, was even the most successful player with her five tournament victories.
However, injuries and a weakness in form prevented the resounding success in recent months. At the WTA finals in Singapore, three-set specialist P3tra lost three of her group games to her future winner Elina Svitolina, Caroline Wozniacki and her compatriot Karolina Pliskova.
Speaking of Pliskova. The former number eight of the world had to cancel her participation in the Fed Cup final injured. In addition to Kvitova, the host team consists of Katerina Siniakova (WTA No. 31) , Barbora Strycova (WTA No. 33) and Barbora Krejcikova (WTA No. 1/Double). Siniakova and Krejcikova are currently the best doubles.
The USA has to do without the Williams sisters as well as Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys and Coco Vandeweghe. Team manager Kathy Rinaldi nominated Danielle Collins (WTA-No. 36), Sofia Kenin (WTA-No. 52), Alison Riske (WTA-No. 63) and Nicole Melichar (WTA-No. 15/Double)