PRAGUE, Czech Republic – Not everyone can win every week. That is impossible. But sometimes, when you are trying as hard as you can, eventually you will turn the page.
That is exactly what occurred for Karolina Pliskova on Sunday, as she won twice to help the Czech Republic defeat Russia 3-2 and win the Fed Cup final in Prague.
The 23-year-old Pliskova has had a fine year, ending the season ranked No.11. She reached the final of Sydney and Dubai on hardcourts. She won a tournament in Prague on clay in April. She reached the final at Birmingham on grass and on hardcourt on Stanford in early July.
But after that, the huge-serving Pliskova slid a little bit, until two weeks ago, when she decided that she was going to give it her all before the season ended. She reached the final against Venus Williams at the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai in a very close contest. When she arrived at Prague, she was ready.
“The year was great but there was some ups and downs,” Pliskova told wtatennis.com. “The season is long so it cannot just be up the whole year. I was a little bit tired at the end of the year. The last two weeks of this year I did everything I could to make it good and to have a good end.
“I know if I’m ready and fit and mentally ready for matches I can play good and beat anyone, but it cannot be the whole year. I’m just happy about the last two weeks of my season. This end is unbelievable.”
On Saturday, Pliskova fell against Maria Sharapova in two tight sets. Her teammate Petra Kvitova had defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in three sets. They were tied 1-1, but they all knew that either team had a legitimate chance to win the title.
Sharapova, who was thrilled to be playing the Fed Cup final for the first time, lit up the court when she was against the wall and upended Kvitova, who had just defeated the five-time Grand Slam champion a week ago in the semifinals of the WTA Finals in Singapore.
Russia was up 2-1 and the pressure was squarely on Pliskova as she stepped on court against Pavlyuchenkova. She had never played singles before this week at the O2 Arena, where 10,800 fans were cheering her but were extremely tense.
On Sunday, Pliskova got up and was not thrilled that she went down against Sharapova, but she knew she could triumph if she stayed in there and lifted her game.
“She was competitive against Maria but she was unhappy she lost to her – and that was a good sign because she went out to win it, and she didn’t,” said her captain Petr Pala. “But she was out there in front of big stars for the first time. It helped her. [On Sunday,] we felt she was the best player. She became confident and once she did, she wasn’t afraid.”
This time, Pliskova kept breathing, she relaxed, and she was self-assured. She nailed her massive first serve and forehand. She never wavered and took down Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets.
But now she had to step up again. Another Czech, Lucie Safarova, was unable to play this weekend due to a wrist injury. Safarova had reached the Roland Garros final in singles, and she won two doubles crowns at the majors with her friend Bethanie Mattek-Sands, the 2015 Australian Open and the French Open.
It was more than likely that Safarova would have played the Fed Cup doubles if not injured, but she couldn’t, so Pliskova went back on court. She and Barbora Strycova would face Pavlyuchenkova and Elena Vesnina, an excellent doubles player who reached finals at Indian Wells, Miami and Wimbledon. The Russians could have been seen as favored.
But there was Pliskova. She and the quick Strycova lost in the first set and the Russians looked very good and directed. Then Pliskova rose again, loong extremely patient and smart. The young player was very confident and didn’t back off. They won the crown, they jumped up and down and they had a fourth title in the last five years.
Three years ago, Safarova won both matches and sealed it, with the Czechs beating Serbia for the title in Prague.
Last year once again Prague, Kvitova won both matches, taking down over Germany and wildly celebrating.
This time, it was Pliskova’s turn.
It might have been an up and down year, but it finished on a high note. Next year, with this victory as inspiration, she could keep climbing.
“I can go a little bit higher but it depends on the results and the start of the year,” she said. “If I’m playing good I can win those bigger matches and go far in the tournament but sometimes it’s not happening. I will prepare good this year and hopefully be ready for the next year.”
She then smiled: “No reason to be sad right now.”
