Karolina Pliskova - "Tennis used to be smarter"
In a press conference at the Combined event in Cincinnati, Karolina Pliskova analyzes the differences between tennis before and after the Williams sisters.
by Stefan Bergmann
last edit: Aug 18, 2022, 08:28 am
Karolina Pliskova made it very likely that Venus Williams played her last competitive match at the WTA Tour 1000 event in Cincinnati. The 42-year-old American lost in the first round 5:7, 1:6 against the Czech, who had previously been better positioned (currently No. 17 in the WTA ranking). In this context, the Böhmin philosophized about the turning point that heralded the double Williams power package in women's tennis.
"They were different because they were sisters. And there weren't any sisters like that before. They really took the game to another level because they started playing a lot more aggressively. Before that, tennis was different," explained Pliskova in one Press conference in the state of Ohio. "They just liked to play much faster, they made the game more aggressive. Back then, Martina Hingis was the one who was always in the final with them. She played from the baseline, without mistakes, but without big weapons."
Play without thinking
A major difference was also the athleticism and physique of the two Williams sisters: "Of course they had different bodies, Martina wasn't able to hit so many aces. Tennis used to be more intelligent. It can still be, but Power rules today, if you play fast enough you can win points without thinking, which is good for me too."
To classify: Pliskova played a total of four times against the older of the two Williams sisters and brought it to a good head-to-head of 3: 1, against Serena it is balanced 2: 2 - maybe there is one last meeting at the US Open...