After her arrival from Wimbledon, plate collector Karolína Plíšková hurried to show the trophy from the final to young hope. In addition to the great tennis from the All England Club, her game for the next generation may also mean the fact that everything goes better with a smile.
Plíšková arrived from London today after lunch, just put away her suitcases at home, took a shower and headed to her club in Prague. She showed the children from her academy a silver plate for participating in the finals on the London grass, for which she was not enough except for world number one Ashleigh Barty from Australia.
“There are too many of us for how small a country we are,” Plíšková commented on the fact that Petra Kvitová is a two-time Wimbledon winner.
Czech children thus have countless role models that they can currently follow. “I didn’t have a great role model, but I watched tennis. And I think it’s important to have someone to look up to, to imitate. I hope we’re the motivation for them,” said 29-year-old Plíšková at a meeting with journalists.
She has added another important trophy in the form of a plate to her collection. He has one from the finals of the US Open from 2016, another from Rome and now the Wimbledon one. “I’m a plate collector,” she said with a smile.
Plíšková reached the premiere final of Wimbledon with the help of strong service and great punches. But she also showed a new face. The often icy calm player often smiled.
“I feel like I still have it (smile), but sometimes I probably don’t have it,” she admitted, adding, “Somehow I found a way to enjoy it a little more, sometimes even laugh. And when I laugh, it comes to me “Then I’m doing well on the court. It’ll probably ease the situation. I’ll try to continue what works for me.”
Coach Sascha Bajin contributes greatly to the transformation of Plíšková. His positive attitude reassures the native of Louny. “It leaves me to be myself, I don’t force myself into anything,” she said. She used to be upset even after unsuccessful training, but now she sees that Bajin will not exacerbate such situations. “He tries not to make it a science, even if he doesn’t succeed. He wants results, but he’s calm, which helps me,” she said.
So far, he has a contract with the German coach Bajin until the end of this year. “But we’ve already had another year,” said Michal Hrdlička, Plíšková’s husband and manager. “Even if I lose in the first round, there is no option for me to end it,” stated the current world number seven.
After Saturday’s final, Plíšková went to dinner with the team. The next day she planned shopping with her friend and coach Olga Savčuk. “Somehow I couldn’t drink as much alcohol as I wanted, and I was terribly sick,” she said, but managed to buy a handbag and a few pieces of clothing.
He will spend four days in the Czech Republic. He visits his parents and friends and flies to Marbella on Thursday. “I already have training scheduled for Friday,” she said. Bajin will also fly to Spain for her, she will get used to the concrete courts and prepare for her first Olympic Games, she will fly to Tokyo on Monday.
“It may be the first and last Olympics at my age. I’m really looking forward to it,” said Plíšková, who was supposed to fly to Rio, but eventually canceled her participation. In London, she was thrilled with the full audience, but the Olympics will be without spectators again. “I was disappointed that they wouldn’t be, but it would be all the more watched on TV. The Japanese are careful, it will be clean, nice and hopefully it will work.”
In Tokyo, players have to do without their personal coaches. The fedcup captain Petr Pála and coach David Kunst will help the players. “I guess I’d like to have Sascha there, now it gives me comfort, but otherwise I’m not strictly dependent on anyone, so I don’t mind at all,” she said.
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