"She just plays a different game than the rest of the girls, simply difficult to win single points or whole games with her" - Petra Kvitova on Iga Swiatek

Petra Kvitova was full of praise for rising tennis star Iga Swiatek in a recent interview with Czech Republican sports news company iSport. The Czech tennis player was speaking ahead of the Ostrava Open, which started on Saturday with qualifiers.

The experienced left-hander acknowledged the Pole's achievements this season and complimented the skills she possesses that make her stand out from the rest.

"Iga had an amazing season, won two Grand Slams and became number one in the world. Definitely deserved, because she just plays a different game than the rest of the girls and thanks to that she gained domination. You probably don't see it on TV, but she's very fast, reads the game very well, knows how to position herself properly for each ball. In addition, she is very good in defense, which makes it simply difficult to win single points or whole games with her," said Kvitova (translated).

The World No. 20 also mentioned that she expects Polish tennis fans to be there in full force in support of Swiatek, as Poland is close to Ostrava. She also elaborated on the popularity of tennis in the city and region.

"I hope Czech fans will be better than Polish fans! We could have some rivalry here. I think that many fans from Poland will come, for them Ostrava is actually just around the corner. It will definitely be good for the whole tournament," said Kvitova (translated).

"There's a bit of flu and colds and stuff going around now, but it's not as bad as covid was. So I hope it gets better. I hope people will come. They really like tennis in Ostrava and in the Moravian-Silesian region, so I hope it will be seen."

Petra Kvitova will hope to impress home crowd at the Ostrava Open 2022

J&T Banka Ostrava Open 2021 - Day Six

Czech former World No. 2 Petra Kvitova will start her Ostrava Open campaign later today as she comes up against American Bernarda Pera in the round of 32.

The 32-year-old last participated in the 2022 US Open and was knocked out in the fourth round at the hands of Jessica Pegula. The two-time Grand Slam winner has had a tough 2022 season with a win/loss record of 24/17 - which is a win percentage of only 58 percent.

Despite a challenging season, the Czech has managed to claim one title so far at the Eastbourne International in the United Kingdom back in June after defeating Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko in the final.