PLISKOVA, KAROLINA ([Karolína Plíšková
Czech Republic
Born 21 March 1992 in Louny, Czech Republic
Height: 6' 1" (1.86 m)
Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
[Active 2006-present]
2016 US Open finalist.
Like her twin sister Kristyna, Karolina started playing tennis at age . Karolia is a rightie-Kristyna plays lefthanded.
Her easy power and booming serve (Karolina habitually leads the WTA tour in aces) are hampered only by her comparatively slow movement around the court. Touted as a potential slam champion, Karolina consistently under-performed in majors-that is up to the 2016 US Open, where she made up for lost time by reaching the US Open in spectacular fashion.
Consider how quickly her transformation came seemingly from out of nowhere: Up until August of 2016 she had steadily risen in the rankings into the top twenty, yet never progressed beyond the 3rd round of a major. Despite her 5 lower level WTA titles (the first in 2013 at the Malysian Open) she was the least known person in the top 20.
Then came August and September of 2016. Up to then Karolina had lost 6 consecutive premier or elite level finals. The 7th was her lucky number, as Pliskova blew Angelique Kerber off the court in Cincinnati 6-2 6-1. The win was the biggest of Pliskova's career to date; it also prevented Kerber from attaining the #1 spot on the WTA computer.
The stoic Czech must have pleased herself by finally getting to the second week of a major at the US Open. Down a set and 4-1 to Venus Williams in the 4th round, Karolina dug out the match with a winner when match point down, won her quarterfinal, and blew the lid off the tennis world in serving world #1 Serena Williams off the court 6-2 7-6 in the semifinals. This match ironically gave Kerber the #1 spot Pliskova denied her in Cincy.
Pliskova made a fight of it in the final. Her bullet-like groundstrokes alllowed her to make several forays into the net that paid rich dividends. Up 3-1 in the last set, Kerber's grit finally prevailed as Pliskova tired mentally and physically.
Time will tell if this was a one time lightening bolt from the blue or a preview of fireworks to come. What is clear is Karolina was the most improved player of 2016. 2017 and 2018 saw her solidify her presence in the top ten, but a major title still eludes her.
2019 was a banner year as far as her ranking (which rose to #2) and 4 more titles to her credit. Coach Conchita Martinez injected new confidence into her game. It wasn't enough however, as Karolina fired Martinez at year's end.
Despite a season in which Pliskova won a joint Tour-leading four titles, in Brisbane, Rome, Eastbourne and Zhengzhou, and raised her year-end ranking from World No.8 to her highest season finish at World No.2, the 27-year-old's Grand Slam breakthrough continued to prove elusive. A semifinal run at the Australian Open included a stunning quarterfinal fightback against Serena Williams in which Pliskova saved four match points and overturned a 1-5 final-set deficit, but a three-set loss to Naomi Osaka in the last four in Melbourne was followed by a third-round exit at Roland Garros to Petra Martic and fourth-round defeats at Wimbledon and the US Open at the hands of Karolina Muchova and Johanna Konta respectively.
Personal:
Coached by Tomas Krupa; fitness coach is Martin Nosko and Ivan Trebaticka; trains at and plays for Sparta Praha tennis club ... Began playing tennis at age 4 ... Enjoys fishing, listening to music (likes pop, Czech music) and watching movies (favorites is Public Enemies) ... Likes reading books by Paulo Coelho ... Favorite food is pasta.
Career Highlights:
SINGLES
Winner (16): 2020 - Brisbane; 2019 - Brisbane, Rome, Eastbourne, Zhengzhou; 2018 - Stuttgart Tokyo [PPO]; 2017 - Brisbane, Doha, Eastbourne; 2016 - Nottingham, Cincinnati; 2015 - Prague; 2014 - Seoul, Linz; 2013 - Kuala Lumpur.
Finalist (13): 2020 - Rome; 2019 - Miami; 2018 - Tianjin; 2016 - Eastbourne, US Open; 2015 - Sydney, Dubai, Birmingham, Stanford, Zhuhai; 2014 - Pattaya City, Nürnberg, Hong Kong.
DOUBLES
Winner (5): 2016 - Birmingham (w/Strycova); 2014 - Nürnberg (w/Krajicek), Bad Gastein, Hong Kong (both w/Kr.Pliskova); 2013 - Linz (w/Kr.Pliskova).
Finalist (2): 2016 - Indian Wells (w/Goerges); 2013 - Palermo (w/Kr.Pliskova).
WTA Year-End Rankings
2020: 06
2019: 02
2018: 08
2017: 04 (including a career high #1 on 17 July 2017)
2016: 06
2015: 11
2014: 24
2013: 67
Sources:
Karolina Pliskova | Player Stats & More – WTA Official
Kristýna a Karolína Plí?kovy [official website]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karolína_Plíšková
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karolína_Plíšková_career_statistics
https://www.wtatennis.com/news/pliskova-announces-split-martínez