Speaker 1: Hi everyone, and welcome to another episode of the sit Down.
Speaker 1: I'm Matrolope, a writer for oz open dot com and.
Speaker 2: I embraced you from the AO Show and brit.
Speaker 1: Why are we sitting down with Barbora Kritiko for this week?
Speaker 2: So Viv is still in Wimbledon, the lucky duck and
Speaker 2: she managed to sit down with her a couple of
Speaker 2: weeks ago before we even knew she would win the tournament.
Speaker 2: So you know what, I'm going to hand it over
Speaker 2: to Viv and let's hear what they talked about.
Speaker 3: Babora, thank you for joining us today on the sit Down.
Speaker 3: You're joining us from Wimbledon, where, of course there's a
Speaker 3: great history of Czech champions.
Speaker 4: How does it feel to return to this venue?
Speaker 5: Well, first off all, I really want to thank you
Speaker 5: for having me. It's very nice to be bard of
Speaker 5: bard of this, and I mean being back here in
Speaker 5: the in a banbladd on we have where we have
Speaker 5: a really huge histudy of another czechdennis players winning or
Speaker 5: editching a very very far I mean, it's it's great.
Speaker 5: It's always nice to be here because this tournament is
Speaker 5: very very traditional and.
Speaker 4: I like this.
Speaker 5: I like the history of the tournament, so I'm I'm
Speaker 5: super excited to be here and and started tournament very soon.
Speaker 3: What memories do you have of Wimburen from when you
Speaker 3: were growing up.
Speaker 5: That's an interesting question because when I was growing up,
Speaker 5: it was it wasn't really that much about wim blood
Speaker 5: On for me, as I mean, I'm not coming really
Speaker 5: from the family that is like a sports family, so
Speaker 5: it wasn't really that much about the tennis. It was
Speaker 5: more about the education in our house. So I guess
Speaker 5: it was a little bit a little bit later. And
Speaker 5: I mean the memory that I remember from Wimbladen is
Speaker 5: more when I was like sixteen seventeen and actually trying
Speaker 5: to play the juniors the juniors champion and playing year
Speaker 5: on court nineteen that is not here anymore, and playing
Speaker 5: my first round, losing the first round, and playing very
Speaker 5: late in the evening and it was already slippery, and
Speaker 5: I remember I was like running to the net and
Speaker 5: I kind of hit the ball, but I fell and
Speaker 5: I fell on my butt, and I was very so
Speaker 5: the next day.
Speaker 4: So these are the I mean, these are.
Speaker 5: That this is the very first memory that you know
Speaker 5: that I can remember of right now that's connected to
Speaker 5: connected to m blad on for me.
Speaker 4: Had you played much cross court tennis before that?
Speaker 5: No, it was actually actually first time here at the
Speaker 5: VIM button, but the only tournament I played before there
Speaker 5: was a rehabiton. And also I think I played there
Speaker 5: my first match and this was my maybe second.
Speaker 4: Can you check our listeners.
Speaker 3: Back to your start in tennis, you said you went
Speaker 3: from a very sporting family. How did you get started
Speaker 3: in tennis?
Speaker 5: Well, I started, well, I started. I started because I
Speaker 5: have two older brothers, and one of them went to
Speaker 5: play tennis. He went with his like schoolmates and and friends.
Speaker 5: And and I was little, I was like maybe three
Speaker 5: or four years old, and and me and my mom
Speaker 5: we went with him so my mom could look after him.
Speaker 4: And because I was this small, I went.
Speaker 5: I went with my mom and and I got like
Speaker 5: a like a little board okay, And I was like
Speaker 5: trying to hit the ball with the board like against
Speaker 5: the wall. So this is I think, I mean, this
Speaker 5: is this is how I studied. But to be honest,
Speaker 5: I don't remember that that's how I only I only
Speaker 5: have this, uh this from my my my family telling me.
Speaker 3: And who would you say has been the biggest influence
Speaker 3: in your career.
Speaker 5: Wow, so many people definitely not just one. I mean
Speaker 5: starting with my family, with my parents, with my brothers,
Speaker 5: going through my first tennis coach, uh, then practicing more
Speaker 5: in in Borno in a city that is like thirty
Speaker 5: minutes from the place where my parents live, and then
Speaker 5: moving to the National that is center later on. Then
Speaker 5: having a Jana Novotnas my tennis coach when I finished juniors,
Speaker 5: and then having other other coaches, so so many, so
Speaker 5: many people have been a big, big influence in my
Speaker 5: in my tennis career.
Speaker 3: And in your career You've had quite an unusual path
Speaker 3: in that you thrived first in doubles, then you had
Speaker 3: your singles breakthrough at Roland Garrals. How did doubles provide
Speaker 3: the foundation for that success?
Speaker 4: Oh?
Speaker 5: Well, the doubles definitely helped. It definitely put me on
Speaker 5: the big big stages before like with somebody, like with
Speaker 5: my partner.
Speaker 4: So it was a little bit like.
Speaker 5: Better to to manage to handle and it I think
Speaker 5: it gave me a lot of.
Speaker 4: A lot of.
Speaker 5: Like just like mental mental help or mental support too
Speaker 5: to be to be able to uh, I mean put
Speaker 5: it into into the singles and to feel good when
Speaker 5: I was playing on a bigger stages, but I was
Speaker 5: there alone.
Speaker 4: When you want roll and garls.
Speaker 3: It was only your fifth grandsaon Mandrel. Did you surprise
Speaker 3: yourself at that point?
Speaker 5: Definitely, yes, definitely, definitely yes, because in I mean in check,
Speaker 5: I mean I've in Czech Republic. I never I never
Speaker 5: really felt like the the the player that's gonna that
Speaker 5: that it's that talented and that good to to you know,
Speaker 5: to make it and to win, to win a slam.
Speaker 5: So it was it was a big surprise. But also
Speaker 5: on the other hand, I was really really working hard
Speaker 5: during the during twenty twenty, during the COVID and really
Speaker 5: tried to improve and and finally get to the top
Speaker 5: one hundred and and then in twenty twenty one, everything
Speaker 5: everything clicked and so far this was this was I
Speaker 5: think my my my best best year.
Speaker 4: It was the best year of my career.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it absolutely was your best year of your career.
Speaker 3: Because you also won a gold medal that year, that
Speaker 3: must have been very special as well.
Speaker 5: Definitely, definitely that year was was amazing with all the
Speaker 5: results that I was able to achieve a loan, but
Speaker 5: also I was able to achieve with my with my
Speaker 5: with my doubles partner. So I mean, winning the winning
Speaker 5: the Olympic gold metaphor for Czech Republic was was was
Speaker 5: a huge thing, and it was very nice because we
Speaker 5: could really, I mean, we could celebrate it in the
Speaker 5: in the Czech house in in in Tokyo, and and
Speaker 5: it was just a different, different feeling and different, uh experience,
Speaker 5: to to share this with different athleasts from from different sports.
Speaker 3: What does that mean to represent your nation at the Olympics.
Speaker 4: Uh, any?
Speaker 5: I mean, for me, any representation of my country, if
Speaker 5: it's during the Olympics but also during the team competition
Speaker 5: is a huge honor. It's a it's a very it's
Speaker 5: a very big deal. I want to do well when
Speaker 5: I'm playing for my country. And and I mean, I'm
Speaker 5: I'm really I'm really enjoying that because when I mean,
Speaker 5: when I was growing up, I was watching Olympics, I
Speaker 5: was also watching the tennis team competition and be very
Speaker 5: really really successful. So I was hoping that one day
Speaker 5: I can maybe get that far and be part of
Speaker 5: the team. And and I mean, I'm really happy that
Speaker 5: I am and that also that I can represent during
Speaker 5: during the Olympics.
Speaker 3: There are currently eight check women inside the top one
Speaker 3: hundred in both singles and in doubles. Do you feel
Speaker 3: like a role model to some of the other check players.
Speaker 4: If I feel like that.
Speaker 5: No, But I think it's maybe the question on on
Speaker 5: the on the different different players and maybe more of
Speaker 5: the upcoming generation that are like right now playing playing junior.
Speaker 4: Are you close as a group on tour?
Speaker 5: No, not only no, I think it's I think tennis
Speaker 5: is very very individual, and I don't or me personally.
Speaker 5: I mean I was quite close with my doubles partner,
Speaker 5: I think, but I mean the rest of the rest
Speaker 5: of the players, I'm not really. I'm not really that that.
Speaker 4: That close, that close with them.
Speaker 3: Is it hard to have close friendships in a sport
Speaker 3: like tennis?
Speaker 5: I think it's just very individual. I think everybody is different,
Speaker 5: and I mean if somebody likes to have a person
Speaker 5: here that is the best friend, it's fine. If somebody doesn't,
Speaker 5: I think it's fine as well. I mean, it can
Speaker 5: get complicated, but somebody can handle that better somebody somebody
Speaker 5: not so very I think, very very individual.
Speaker 3: Wimburon last year, you came in, you'd reached a final
Speaker 3: long Grass and then you had to retire here in
Speaker 3: the second round. Does I give you added motivation for
Speaker 3: this year? Oh?
Speaker 5: Well, I mean the motivation here is obviously every single year,
Speaker 5: very very high. And I really want to do do
Speaker 5: well during the during this sert event, and I mean
Speaker 5: also any other tournament.
Speaker 3: Uh.
Speaker 4: And I mean, but I'm not really.
Speaker 5: Like setting like really like high high goals because also
Speaker 5: this year I was quite quite injured and ale and
Speaker 5: it wasn't so far besides the Austrian Open a good season.
Speaker 4: So I just want to.
Speaker 5: Get the first win and and I'm gonna go from
Speaker 5: there and and see how far I can I can go.
Speaker 3: And you did start your year by reaching the quarter
Speaker 3: finals at the Australian Open. What does that tournament mean
Speaker 3: for you?
Speaker 5: Well, I mean for me, Australia is very special. I
Speaker 5: mean since the junior I it was you know, this
Speaker 5: is the country that is the that is the most
Speaker 5: far from from us from in Europe, and I always
Speaker 5: wanted to visit and I was always hoping that I
Speaker 5: can get there, and then doing Juniors, I was able
Speaker 5: to fly there. I mean the flight is not very nice,
Speaker 5: but I mean the country is amazing. I really liked
Speaker 5: Melbourne as a junior and I was hoping that one
Speaker 5: day in a pro I'll be able to come back.
Speaker 5: And I mean, it's great that I'm coming back. It's
Speaker 5: great that I was able to reach the quarters in
Speaker 5: singles this year. So far, I think it's the I
Speaker 5: think it's the best best result and I'm really proud
Speaker 5: about this result. And also I I with Katkabi won
Speaker 5: the doubles there twice in a row, and and also
Speaker 5: with uh some other like mixed doubles player or with
Speaker 5: the men's players, I want three times in a row
Speaker 5: mixed doubles. So for me to be honest, I have
Speaker 5: the most trophies from Australia. So it's it's it's it's
Speaker 5: a very very special place for me.
Speaker 4: Whe Rather it's trophies. Where do you keep them?
Speaker 5: Well, I have them so far right now, I have
Speaker 5: them in my in my parents' house. Ye, But when
Speaker 5: I'm going to get to the point when I get
Speaker 5: my own house, They're going to be in my own house.
Speaker 3: And just to finish up, when you look back at
Speaker 3: your starting tennis, what advice would you give to your
Speaker 3: younger self?
Speaker 5: What I would say, I think I mean for me
Speaker 5: like when I was growing up, I think I had
Speaker 5: everything that I needed. Like back then, I wouldn't change
Speaker 5: your thing. And for me, the most important thing was
Speaker 5: to enjoy and not to be really like pushed, to
Speaker 5: have the freedom to decide what I want to do
Speaker 5: and what I don't want to do. And I think
Speaker 5: I was able. I got that I was able to
Speaker 5: do that. So for me, I think this is the
Speaker 5: this is the most important. But it's individually for me.
Speaker 5: I think for a group of upcoming players, I think
Speaker 5: it's important to have fun, to enjoy the tennis, to
Speaker 5: be happy to go for the practices, to be happy
Speaker 5: to spend the time around the court. And I think
Speaker 5: to be dedicated to work hard and to I mean
Speaker 5: dream big and go for it.
Speaker 2: Wow.
Speaker 1: So obviously we've proved a good luck charm for critique
Speaker 1: of it, because you know, two weeks after they sat
Speaker 1: down and had that interview, she ended up winning the
Speaker 1: entire tournament, which was so incredible to me to listen
Speaker 1: to that interview back and hearing that her expectations were
Speaker 1: quite low about the tournament. She'd had illness and injury
Speaker 1: struggles earlier this year, and she'd said that all she
Speaker 1: was really hoping to do was with around and then
Speaker 1: see how she goes from there and hopefully it goes well.
Speaker 1: She goes on the wins, you know, her second grandson title,
Speaker 1: and it was just an incredible achievement. Incredible and I
Speaker 1: think there's a lot about her that I learned in
Speaker 1: listening to that interview that Viv managed to get is
Speaker 1: she seems to be someone who has been blessed with
Speaker 1: a very happy outlook and really positive outlook, you know,
Speaker 1: talking about her biggest influences, her family and brothers. And
Speaker 1: my favorite question for me was when Viv asked her,
Speaker 1: is there anything you would change or go back and
Speaker 1: tell your younger self, And she said she said she
Speaker 1: had everything she needed. She was really happy back then,
Speaker 1: so she wouldn't change a thing. She always had the
Speaker 1: joy and it's always about maintaining that joy and being
Speaker 1: happy and dream big and go for it. And I
Speaker 1: just think, you know, there's something in just being light
Speaker 1: and enjoying the present.
Speaker 4: And I just thought it was a fantastic interview.
Speaker 1: And she just seems so well adjusted and so down
Speaker 1: to earth. Was really it was really great to hear
Speaker 1: from her. And next Monday, Vive and I will be
Speaker 1: back again with another episode of The Sea Down, but
Speaker 1: in the meantime you could listen to bree J and
Speaker 1: the rest of the team this Thursday on the aoshow Weekly.
Speaker 1: Details for how to contact us are in the show notes,
Speaker 1: and please subscribe, rate and review. Thanks so much, Matt Sea,
Speaker 1: brie Bye,