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Petra Kvitova News and Articles

376K views 4K replies 148 participants last post by  czerwony ptak 
#1 ·
Since she's all famous and stuff, we should post all interesting articles in here. :lol:

http://espn.go.com/espnw/news-opinion/6732836/wimbledon-petra-kvitova-new-star-born

In Petra Kvitova, a new star is born
Jul 2 | By Sandra Harwitt

Petra Kvitova is not the type of individual who seeks attention. She's kind of shy about her achievements.

But after defeating Maria Sharapova 6-3, 6-4 on Saturday for the Wimbledon title, she can't escape being famous.

"I'm so tired," Kvitova told about 10 journalists receiving some extra time with the champion after she did her main news conference and TV interviews. "I know it will change. I don't know what it will be [like] in [her native] Czech Republic."

When asked if she ever had a desire to be famous, the 21-year-old struggled to answer the question.
"I mean, it's part of being a tennis player, being famous," she eventually said. "So when I won Wimbledon, I had to agree [with it]."

One sign of that fame is being added to the Wimbledon Wall of Champions, which is located within the inner sanctum of the All England Club. The new champion's name -- clear and bold in gold lettering -- is put in its rightful spot even before the trophy ceremony on Centre Court is concluded.

Kvitova was able to watch the procedure when it was shown on the Centre Court scoreboard. Whether she's ready or not, Kvitova knew it was just another sign of her burgeoning stardom.

"When I was sitting on the court after the match I saw it [happening] on the TV," Kvitova said. "It was strange."
 
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#1,579 ·
PS On Slozil's comments: I think Petra's problems are multi-faceted and not always so always simple (more than what Slozil said). We know that.

Nonetheless, I couldn't help but notice, as great a player and as dialed in Steffi Graf always was on court, that Slozil still had her hit with Top men (not even regular men--I'm sure at dual tournaments) after easy wins. Bravo!

Many of us have been screaming for Petra to have male hitting partners, or to take advantage of her Protejov/Cernosek contemporary Tomas Berdych by hitting frequently with him. And apparently she doesn't (or any other men for that matter).

When we see Petra have early problems in matches early in tournaments, I think thats been one of HER MAIN PROBLEMS (if not the only one). Petra doesn't hit enough, if at all during the year.

Think about it? Last year Petra had a part time hitter in Boyfriend Adam (still nuts when you think about it), and she performed better. This year she's had none (except the Prostojev Teen Boys for the YEC), and has occasionally hit with Li Na during select events/Grand Slams. That's it! And look at the results (poorer)?

This glaring oversight of Petra's development this year I feel was almost criminal (tennis wise), along with her teams other oversights and Slozil's complaints.

So Petra hasn't been in top shape, top mind/mental or top form. Mmmh. Any one or all of the above would have helped her immensely against top opponents and during tough matches in 2012. I guess we'll see what Team Petra (Ms. Kvitova, Cernosek and Kotyza, etc.) have in mind for 2013? :shrug: :oh: :shrug:
 
#1,590 ·
PS Bruce:

It's funny, I'm watching the Davis Cup match, and I'm seeing the promos for the "Petra Kvitova" Tennisography show coming up soon on Tennis Channel.

While hearing some Martina Navratilova snippets of the upcoming program (and speaking about Pavel Složil and Petra here), it just reminded me of the beautiful tennis history and legacy of the Czech Republic/Czechoslovakia.

Hearing Martina speak about Petra so dotingly, just reminded me, how much it's a crime that Petra's inner circle is limited to Cernosek cronies, when you have the likes of Martina Navratilova, Ivan Lendl, Pavel Složil, Martina Hingis, and so many other brilliant Czech/Slovak minds and former players (mind you the world), who care and could assist Petra in so many ways.

Comparitively speaking, Petra appears to have accepted almost exclusive advice and allegiance from the team that's achieved nothing (Grand Slam wise). SMH
 
#1,596 ·
C'mon Sexynek :)
 
#1,598 ·
:bounce: :bounce:

Well done on Fed Cup and Davis Cup CZ :aparty:
 
#1,605 ·
Let's not kid ourselves here;Cermosek didn't 'make' Petra any more than sleazebag Don King made Muhammad Ali a great boxer.King is a promoter,a conduit who co-ordinates fights,but he doesn't make the boxers better fighters...and aye SERIOUSLY doubt that Petra's Czech mafia stooge fixer has improved HER any more than King has done with any great fighters
 
#1,607 · (Edited)
Not hard to get the best Czech players, when you're basically the only game in town (Similar to the Mafia). :lol:

The question is, what do you with that talent and how do you cultivate it?

Petra got her "easy" Grand Slam and YEC. Now she's got to fight and work hard for her next ones.

And Berdych is a very talented player; knocking on the door. However, he hasn't shown that he can be counted on as well, even when he doesn't face one of the big 4.

Let's see what happens the next 1-3 yrs for Petra (and with Berdych and Safarova, it's been long counting already)?

And you're right Bruce: Cernosek is a promoter, manager--a business person, not the actual TALENT (including coaches) in tennis rich Czech Republic. He's eminently expendable. When his players win some more Grand Slams (after Petra first), then maybe I'll be a believer.

I mean look at how Safarova's, Berdych and even Petra's career has gone the past 1-5 yrs (if you wanna use Petronius and TimeyWiney's reference)?
 
#1,610 ·
For Petra fans and non-Czech speakers, during the interview with Mr. Složil he said 'I am a big fan of Petra and we text each other frequently.'

This is great news, if Petra can consult with the guy who won the Golden Slam with Steffi Graf and used to coach Capriati, Kournikova and Maleeva.

I would even argue it's equal to having access to Navratilova's advice.
 
#1,611 ·
I wonder if it's true (or is Slozil just being gracious/exaggerating--speaking about a Czech Champion to an interviewer)?

If so, what do they talk about? And why Slozil and not Navratilova (Not cause I think she would be better; just curious why him and not her; since she complains Petra doesn't contact her enough)? :lol:

Lastly, I wonder if this is part of Petra experiencing some frustration regarding her year and showing a little independence (Remember, it appeared that Petra wasn't sure if she was going to play Extraliga and wanted to wait giving an answer on Fed Cup next year), from Cersonek and pressure at home to automatically commit to these events?

We only hope. :help:
 
#1,617 ·
Even if she had a contract with Cernosek and Prostojev, it couldn't/wouldn't stop Petra and Kotyza from talking to and choosing her own people to work with. The WTA and ITF would never stand for that, if challenged.

Secondly, even if they had a contract, so what!? If Petra left the Czech Republic and moved to another country--like Monaco (which I know many of us feel Petra would never do), there's nothing Cernosek could do. :lol:
 
#1,616 ·
I just read your discussion here and I'd like to share my observations.

Someone questioned whether Petra might be lazy and if she considers tennis as her hobby or profession. I'm not familiar with her history in full, but didn't she train in her hometown several times a week before getting invited to Prostejov at 16? Isn't that too late? Maybe Petra is still transitioning to accepting that tennis is her profession now and things are going to change.

As for the fitness questions - I think she's making some steps in that direction. This year she was on an intensive camp in Turkey, who knows, maybe she will go there again some time. I also think ideal fitness shape cannot happen overnight, it may take a year or two, as evidenced by Azarenka when she started working with Scott Byrnes (sp?) or even Djokovic. This year she's had plenty of niggles that to me have prevented her from training properly. I'm sure Petra and her team know that and will take care of it. No matter how skeptical you are of the members of her team, you have to be ignorant not to see the improvements that need to be made. But once again I say this might take a long period. (If there's anyone familiar with the case of Norwegian biathlete Tarjei Boe, there're similarities with Petra). Also, speaking of Djokovic, he tried to add new people to his team and change his serve and that backfired, so maybe Petra's team is taking it slowly instead of rushing things. To me, Petra had visible improvement in her movement in January at the AO and the small injuries just stalled her progress. Once Petra shakes her disappointment of the season on vacation and starts preparing for the new season, thing will get better. Side note on her "belly" - I'm not sure she'll ever lose it, irrespective of fitness coaching, that's just her body structure, similar to Safina's, who had great endurance.
I understand your concerns about training on Protejov in winter instead of outdoors in e.g. Miami, but maybe this has something to do with her asthma. She's said she feels bad in North America, so maybe a 2-week camp in Australia before the AO is the best option for her.
 
#1,618 ·
Hey iva_ds87

Thanks for your comments and don't be a stranger.

Yes, Petra went Prostojev at 16-17 yrs old (though supposedly she was invited at a much earlier age and her father said "no"), and she didn't play much juniors either. So you are correct. Petra's is very inexperienced to the world travel, competitiveness and petty killer instinct compared to many of her contemporaries.

Petra has made great fitness strides in the past three years (though I noticed in that Safina match at the 2009 US Open 4th rd, when Petra was much bigger she played a great match for hrs in the sun), if you go by the weight she lost. Agreed. And she was actually at the height of her movement, during the 2011 season (Paris Indoor, Australian Open, YEC, Linz, Wimbledon).

And I also agree, the stomach may not go any where: Cause as Petra's lost about 25lbs the past several years, she still has one (though it's not as big as some people make it out to be). We've discussed that here many times.

Djokovic's additions to his team worked very well, except the serve experiment. He changed his diet, increased his conditioning, cured his health ailments, and got tougher, while adding more skill to his tennis arsenal. I think it worked.

The issue with Petra is, everyone seems to come from her Managers stable, as opposed to the tennis world in general (outside of his network). And they have made a series of critical mistakes through out 2012--hampering Petra, which have been discussed ad nauseum here. Sure questionable parents or management has happened to other players before. The question is, when will Petra wake up, notice, make her own decisions or care, if she's not being helped?

Petra can train outdoors in Monaco, Italy or Spain. It doesn't have to be in America (though many players live/train there, cause there's an abundance of tennis talent and facilities).

Remember, the Australian's an outdoor event. And though people couldn't really put there finger on it at the time, we knew one of the reasons why Petra didn't play as well on outdoor hard court in NA (though they were several reasons), was her affinity of practicing indoors in Europe at Prostojev. It was psychological.

Petra's team may very well prove to be excellent in 2013. So I don't doubt your speculation or advice of patience. However, they haven't given us too many reasons to feel the same in 2012. There were many self inflicted screw ups too numerous to re-hash.

Maybe it's just growing pains for her team in tandem with Petra's "transitional/adjustment" year following her 2011 success and expectations. But an argument can be made she's outgrown them, or at least Petra needs additional/new people or advisors and perspective.

And here in lies much of our concern. We don't know if Petra or any of her people, are comfortable or even allowed to seek anyone in the tennis world to advise, assist, coach or work with her in any capacity. Her manager, has already indicated publically--virtually boasting, that he chooses her coaches that she and Kotyza can choose from. He also boasted that he talked her into Extraliga 2012, and almost promised he could talk her into Fed Cup 2013 as well (both events he has a financial, status and political interest in--I may add), that Petra could benefit skipping, or delaying her commitment.

They're too many apparent conflicts of interest and pressure placed on Petra as well, under the current arrangement. That cannot help. It must get better or change.
 
#1,631 ·
This has been discussed many times before. She joined the Prostejov academy as a 16-year-old after she broke through at the Czech Republic's most important junior tournament. Until that she competed for and practiced at the tennis club in her home town of Fulnek.

I have no doubt Černošek & Co. had been following her closely before the triumph at the junior tournament.

In 1998, Černošek even founded M Sport Servis, a company that supports talented young players in many ways (obtaining wild cards, providing coaches who travel with the player, brokering potentially lucrative contracts between players and equipment/clothing manufacturers, etc.)

This is obviously just one piece of the puzzle.

Overall, Černošek's contribution to Czech tennis and the first-ever Hopman/Fed/Davis hattrick is simply huge.

It is very likely that the impressive system and facilities built by Černošek & Co. will produce more great players in the future.

And it's obvious that if you have the best tennis facilities in CZ or Central Europe, the talent will naturally gravitate to you.
 
#1,637 ·
Guys,you're definitely on topic while discussing Petra's management,yet all of this lengthy legal talk over the specific stipulations of her contract is getting REALLY,really boring......could we just get back to Petra's activities and flush the legal stuff down the toilet?....please?:angel:
 
#1,652 ·
If Petra's not showing you enough skin,you can always become a regular over in the Serb forum,Petronius;);of course,it might get a little disappointing after a while having faves who never win tournaments and rarely even win big matches:lol:
 
#1,653 ·
If Petra's not showing you enough skin,you can always become a regular over in the Serb forum,Petronius;);of course,it might get a little disappointing after a while having faves who never win tournaments and rarely even win big matches:lol:
This debate was started by our friend Shifty, not me :lol:

Anyway, Petra's not my type in terms of looks. I am a fan, because of her amazing tennis skills and likeable personality. :cool:
 
#1,670 ·
Wow, it's quite dramatic, isn't it? :lol: (I know I'm one to talk about being dramatic :oh:)

@Excelsior: True, but if you're not naturally aggressive or super competitive off court, it can be difficult to switch that on at will.
 
#1,671 ·
Wow, it's quite dramatic, isn't it? :lol: (I know I'm one to talk about being dramatic :oh:)
So you caught the irony there,huh:lol:?Seriously,if you're planning on a Communications major at uni,then maybe YOU could become Petra's press agent in the coming years;)
 
#1,673 · (Edited)
I haven't read the article yet. But I hate Steve Tignor's writing regarding Petra most times. :lol:

He's so hard on her (even wrongly assessed her game when many of his own commentators were telling him for months otherwise, till he relented).

So many times Tignor likes to write for dramatic effect, instead of tennis sensibility. I don't think he watches as many matches as he pretends to. For example, he didn't know Petra could volley last year (Pre or post Wimby), though he was always quick to criticize, doubt her. Like I said, it was the commentators on his articles--who sent him Youtube videos, before he finally saw the light and publicly relented.

Ironically, Petra actually deserves some criticism now. So I fear to read the article (unless Steve is in off season mode or had legitimate expert comments in the article). :)
 
#1,679 ·
OK.

I read the first paragraph and stopped, cause it made me think of so many haterz on GM here. :lol:

Here it is:

It seems like a very long time ago, in a tennis galaxy far far away, but as 2012 began, the consensus among WTA observers that Kvitova, who had won Wimbledon and the WTA Championships the year before, was the immediate future of women’s tennis.
I love how some haterz on GM (especially Caro fans--sorry Bruce--no offense to them, and even Vika and Masha tards), say that 'no one in the media or tennis cognoscenti tabbed Petra to take over the game and as it's new force', etc., when we said this was the case. :lol: :help: :lol:

There it is right there in black and white. Not only did they predict her to (WTA observers), but the media also supported, repeated and embraced the notion.

Today, you have some haterz that love to say stuff like "the media would never support her", "she's nobody", etc., when that was the furthest thing from the truth. Unfortunately, Petra didn't live up to her part of the bargain. :shrug:

Better luck next year Babe.

The actual article, wasn't that long or in depth. But it was fine (I guess) for the series, and Petra's current ranking.
 
#1,681 ·
BTW, there are lots of interesting comments below that article.

Like these two:

"I am a private friend of Petras father Jiri Kvita and come from a town approx 10 km from Fulnek, her native town. I know from her father Jiri, that right before YEC Petra played in Prostejovs indoor hall a full-time test match with Safarova who was just going to Moscow while Petra to Istanbul. Petra won it 6:1, 6:0, but nobody knows that. Safarova than destroyed Jankovic and Ivanovic in Fed Cup. Petra had some health and therefore also fitness problems at the end of the year, but if she gets fit again, it can still be very interesting."


"I remember that Kvitova was a true contender for No1 spot before AO and everything was fine until her quarterfinal with Errani, at that time ranked 48th. She gave an interview after that match and she was asked about her chances to take over leading position in WTA race. She swallowed some words, there was more fear than desire in her eyes and she didn't seem to be comfortable with the possible and forthcoming responsibility as a true No1. Than she lost to Sharapova in semi and except for good results in Fed Cup, she vanished until the FO."
 
#1,682 ·
BTW, there are lots of interesting comments below that article.

Like these two:

"I am a private friend of Petras father Jiri Kvita and come from a town approx 10 km from Fulnek, her native town. I know from her father Jiri, that right before YEC Petra played in Prostejovs indoor hall a full-time test match with Safarova who was just going to Moscow while Petra to Istanbul. Petra won it 6:1, 6:0, but nobody knows that. Safarova than destroyed Jankovic and Ivanovic in Fed Cup. Petra had some health and therefore also fitness problems at the end of the year, but if she gets fit again, it can still be very interesting."


"I remember that Kvitova was a true contender for No1 spot before AO and everything was fine until her quarterfinal with Errani, at that time ranked 48th. She gave an interview after that match and she was asked about her chances to take over leading position in WTA race. She swallowed some words, there was more fear than desire in her eyes and she didn't seem to be comfortable with the possible and forthcoming responsibility as a true No1. Than she lost to Sharapova in semi and except for good results in Fed Cup, she vanished until the FO."
I'm the only one who never reads comments on blogs\news sites?:lol:
 
#1,685 ·
Hmmm so Petra would be the underdog against sharapova, azarenka and serena in 2013, yeah right! maybe serena but I doubt sharapova and azarenka see Petra as an underdog, they know Petra is dangerous, I just hope she doesnt get sick anymore and take care of herself better, so I would stop suffering for her!
 
#1,689 ·
Just now there are some 10 - 20 degrees below zero in CZ in some parts of our country. Petra tired and sweating after a training in Prostejovs hall - hope, she will not catch a cold again, especially in Czech league season end, where she seems to play again, as Mr. Cernosek will surely find the way how to persuade her to show up.
 
#1,688 ·
You never know in womens tennis - Serena really down in AO and RG this year and than - what a great turnaround for the rest of this season. Petra is really unpredictable - who would have thought that she is gonna win this years US series??? I personally think, her time shall come in about 2-3 years. My prediction is some 3 next slams in her career with no winning US open and some similar scenario like in Sharapovas case (= gained slams divied in several years and mostly unexpected). She will always have her up and downs due to her risky play, but I hope, we can still expect some great up-times although not regularly. But what is regular in womens tennis???
 
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