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Karolina Pliskova Wimbledon 2021
Tennis News, WTA Tennis Players

‘The schedule is too demanding’ – Karolina Pliskova announces she will not play big event


Former world number one Karolina Pliskova will not play alongside her Czech compatriots at the international team event this year.

The 2021 Wimbledon runner-up has decided against competing at the pandemic delayed Billie Jean King Cup Finals in order to give other Czechs a look in.

Pliskova also cited preparation for the WTA Finals in Guadalajara, Mexico. The Billie Jean King Cup Finals run from 1-6 November. The WTA Finals come immediately afterwards, held from 10-17 November.

Conditions between the two event will be wildly different. The Billie Jean King Cup is being played indoors, while the WTA Finals will be outdoors and at altitude.

“I’ve played the Fed Cup several times and I’ve won the finals twice, so I know how beautiful the emotions are,” Pliskova said in a statement on Twitter.

“But I will not be on the team this year. We agreed with Captain Pala and President Kaderka that we would leave room for other girls who also deserve to play in front of a sold-out hall and Czech fans.”

The event is being held in Prague, Czech Republic, giving Czech players a unique opportunity to play in front of home fans.

“I believe that the line up that Czechia has will be very strong and successful,” Pliskova continued.

“The schedule for this season is very demanding. One really has to make difficult decisions from time to time, where to play and where to miss.

“I will try to prepare for the [WTA Finals], where I would like to go as far as possible.”

The Czech Republic are the second most successful team in the history of the event, formerly called the Fed Cup. They have been champions 11 times to the USA’s 18.

However, the European nation have won six of the last nine events, the most recent being in 2018.


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