20 Questions: Karolina Pliskova

A multiple career titlist and now inside the world’s top 10, it’s hard to believe Karolina Pliskova was ever anything but entirely focused on tennis. But there was a time when the rising star barely even liked the game, as she tells Barry Wood.

What is the greatest benefit of being famous?
Well, I don’t think I’m famous that much so it doesn’t disturb me yet. But it’s for sure better that the people know me now better and are cheering more for me. It’s a nice feeling. If the day comes, for example, when I’m approached for autographs in restaurants it will not bother me at all.

What quality do you like most in other people?
I take everyone as they come.

What annoys or frustrates you the most?
Probably when I’m missing on the court, but off the court I’m not getting that angry at myself. Just only on the court.

What do you most like in yourself?
I would say on the court it’s my head because I can win a lot of matches when I’m losing so I’m mentally strong. And that I have that from God.

What do you dislike in yourself?
I’m sometimes too negative. On the court and off the court as well. We are working on it with my coach Jiri (Vanek), to stay positive even if it’s a tough situation.

What has been your best moment on a tennis court?
I’m happy that I can continue with a good game, but the best moment I would say was when I won those titles last year in Linz and Seoul.

What has been your worst moment on a tennis court?
It’s always a bad moment when you are losing to someone who you don’t want to lose to, but I didn’t really have any bad, bad moment.

Knowing what you know now, what advice would you have given yourself when your career started?
Just to practise maybe a little bit more, because in the beginning we (with sister Kristyna) were not that into tennis because no one from our family played tennis so it was a little bit hard, and to get from juniors to women’s. But to stay and work hard every day to get the chance to be the best, and it doesn’t matter if you have talent or not. Just to practise and try.

What is the best advice you have ever been given?
I’ve not (been) getting any advice outside of tennis because I’m deciding by myself in the life, but of course I have my parents teaching me everything. But on the tennis, my coach is teaching me the behaving on the court, just to stay strong. That’s what I have from him.

What would be your perfect day?
My perfect day would be to be all day on the beach. Or shopping.

Do you have any superstitions?
No no no. If I’m winning I’m trying to keep doing the same thing I was doing the day before when I won, but if I don’t have the same chair I had the day before I don’t care.

What has been your most extravagant (most expensive or biggest) purchase?
I’m spending quite a lot of money on clothes, but I’m not buying any crazy expensive things likes watches and rings. I’m not really investing in this, but I have some expensive clothes.

What living person do you most admire?
No one.

What is your greatest fear?
Everyone has a fear. But right now I’m not thinking about that and just living the life and not having any.

What would you most hate to lose?
My sister.

If you weren’t a tennis player what would you like to be?
It’s tough to say. I would love to do any other sport because I’m doing sport from the beginning, from like four years, so I cannot imagine not doing any sport in my life. But I guess if I would not have started to do any sport and led a different life, maybe a model or something.

Where is the best place you’ve been?
I would say Australia. That’s where I like the most, the tournaments there and everything. I’m not going so much on vacation.

Where would you most like to go to that you haven’t been yet?
Maybe the Maldives.

Who would you most like to have as a dinner guest?
Maybe I would go with one ice hockey player from Czech, Jaromir Jagr.

How would you like to be remembered?
As a good tennis player.

Barry Wood has reported on the game for over 35 years, attending his first Australian Open at Kooyong before going on to interview almost every top player as well as many others for numerous publications.