Czech representative Barbora Krejčíková, November 4, 2021.
Prague – Tennis players Barbora Krejčíková, Kateřina Siniaková, Karolína Muchová, Markéta Vondroušová and debutant Linda Nosková are nominated for the April qualifying for the Billie Jean King Cup final tournament against Ukraine. Captain Petr Pála informed journalists about this. Petra Kvitová and Karolína Plíšková apologized.
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The Czech national team will compete for promotion among the twelve best teams on April 14 and 15. Due to the Russian invasion, the International Tennis Federation moved the match to Belek, Turkey at the request of Ukraine. It will be played on clay.
“Barbora Krejčíková and Markéta Vondroušová play excellently on clay. Katka Siniaková can also play on it, Kája Muchová beat Maria Sakkariová in Paris at Roland Garros last year. Linda Nosková grew up on clay and I'm glad that she will experience her debut in the team. When young girls get involved like this, I believe that in time they will also grow into the mainstays of the team,” said Pála in a recording for the media.
The Czech number one and fifteenth player in the world Kvitová is missing from the nomination. World No. 17 Plíšková also apologized. “Given how much they played for the Czech Republic in the past, it's understandable,” said Pála, who still had a lot of options after the last tournaments. “It was a pleasant worry. Unfortunately, it happened that you also had to say 'no' to someone. We still have the tournament in Miami ahead of us, and given that the girls are playing well, someone can still fly there. But the rule is that we have to report the roster now,” said Pála, who also traveled to the USA to meet the players.
The Czech tennis players will compete against Ukraine for the first time in the competition. The main support of the opponents will be the 40th player in the world Marta Kosťuková, Dajana Jastremská (142nd), Katarina Zavacka (264th) and the eighth doubles player in the world Ljudmyla Kičenoková are also nominated. Ukrainian number one Anhelina Kalinin, ranked 29th in the WTA rankings, is missing from the team.
“It's not a bad opponent at all. There are a lot of them and they often play until the final rounds of tournaments. Kostyukova has now won the tournament in Austin , they have Jastremska, and (Elina) Svitolina, who had a child, is not yet playing. She will be a very strong opponent,” stated Pála.
The female tennis players in the competition formerly known as the Fed Cup are defending their semi-final participation. After a successful qualification with Great Britain, they defeated Poland and the USA in the basic group of the final tournament. In the fight for the final, however, they were not enough for the later champions from Switzerland.
Czech and Czechoslovakian representatives dominated the team competition eleven times and are the second most successful team. American women lead the ranking with 18 titles.
