Fruhvirtova: I will remember this for the rest of my life

Czech starlet Linda Fruhvirtova has been churning out age-defying performances for some considerable time, now she is primed for her latest challenge: a potential Billie Jean King Cup debut at the age of just 16.

Fruhvirtova was drafted into the Czech Republic squad for this week’s Billie Jean King Cup Qualifier with Great Britain in Prague by legendary captain Petr Pala following the withdrawal of Katerina Siniakova through injury.

She is now within touching distance of a first national team outing at senior level in the women’s world cup of tennis. Should it happen, the prodigiously talented teenager will join an illustrious list of players to have represented Czech Republic.

The Czechs, after all, have built something of a Billie Jean King Cup dynasty having topped the podium on six occasions since 2011. Their first step to further glory and a first triumph since 2018 is victory over Great Britain, which would confirm their place at the 2022 Finals.

In the blink of an eye, Fruhvirtova has gone from interested observer to centre stage.  

“It is really exciting,” she said. “I am really glad that I have this opportunity to be on the team. It is my first time nominated and I am really excited to see what this week brings.

“I watched many Billie Jean King Cup matches and finals in the past. I watched the final here a few years ago [at the O2 Arena versus USA in 2018] and it was so exciting to see the atmosphere and to watch it closely.

“It is amazing to be on the team now, just a few years after watching it in the stadium as a fan or from my living room. I was also born in Prague and live here, so it is a very special place for my first nomination.

“I played a lot of team competitions for Czech Republic in the past, but this is my first time in the national team for the women. I always like to play team competitions for my country, and I am so glad I can experience it.

“The whole occasion is very special, and I am sure I will remember it for the rest of my life.”

It has been quite a few weeks for Fruhvirtova, who sealed the biggest title of her career, on the ITF World Tennis Tour at W25 Cancun, in February and last month reached the fourth round at the Miami Open.  

It was a true breakthrough performance in Miami, with Fruhvirtova in stunning form as she accounted for then-world No. 24 Elise Mertens and former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka before succumbing to Spain’s Paula Badosa.

“That helped me a lot with my confidence and how I am feeling on court right now,” added Fruhvirtova, who has surged to No. 170 in the world rankings. “It is important to get these kinds of matches and really important to see that I have the level.”

It was in Miami that Fruhvirtova, who bears all the hallmarks of being something of a national treasure, learned of her Billie Jean King Cup call-up – the sort of news that all aspiring players dream of.

“I was doing well in Miami and felt in good shape,” she added. “The team captain called my dad. Siniakova was injured so he asked me to be in the team, which I am really thankful for. I didn’t see it coming and it was a nice surprise.”

The ascent of Fruhvirtova has been rapid. Only three years ago she was competing at – and indeed winning – Les Petits As, the prestigious junior tournament held in Tarbes, France for those aged 14 and under.

Months later, she was triumphing in national team colours alongside her younger sister Brenda and Nikola Bartunkova at the ITF World Junior Tennis Finals in Prostejov, where she was described by captain Tomas Josefus as “a Pit Bull from the baseline”.

There has been much intrigue about Fruhvirtova ever since and considerable fanfare, with her age often acting as a conversation starter. But the latest prodigy to emerge from the production line of Czech tennis talent seems to be taking all such talk firmly in her stride.

“You can feel the age difference and that I am new [to the WTA Tour], but I think the players have started to know me and I have started to know them,” she said. “I am getting there but at times I am playing against girls 10 years older than me.

“There are also many young players now in the top 100. When you start playing on the tour, you can think they’re 25 and have so much experience, but really it is just player against player.

“I also think, even the matches you lose, it is very important in a player’s career to use the phrase, ‘you win, or you learn’, because if you learn from losses that can be a win also.”

There is a further mantra which Fruhvirtova believes has characterised her fledgling career, which bodes extremely well as she prepares for yet another significant milestone on the pathway to possible stardom.

“I never give up,” she said. “I love competing and from a young age I was the one going for the point and going for it. I never give up and will always fight for every point.”

An intriguing week in Prague awaits.