Czech team ‘like a family’, says Kvitova
She has good memories on the court having won a bronze medal in Rio, but Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova loves feeling part of the Olympic family off it.
The two-time Wimbledon champion is no stranger to representing her country with distinction and has amassed an extraordinary six Billie Jean King Cup titles as her country have dominated women’s team tennis over the last decade.
And it is that team spirit and camaraderie that brings out the best in the left-hander.
“I’m very proud to represent my country and I’ve always been part of the Czech team,” she said. “I really love it and I’m very happy when I can play under the Czech flag.
Kvitova, now 31, explained that she knows how difficult it is to win an Olympic medal so, despite the fact that she would rather have a gold, she can go into Tokyo with nothing to prove.
She added: “I’m very happy that I already have a medal – unfortunately bronze – but I have it, so it’s less pressure!”
And the thing that she is most looking forward to at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is feeling part of the Czech 'family'.
She revealed that she enjoyed sharing experiences with fellow athletes and finding out that the mental challenge is the same across every sport. She also said that having fellow athletes cheer her on gave her more energy.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Tennis Event starts on Friday 24 July, with the medal matches scheduled to take place on 30 July-1 August.