Petra Kvitova nominated for Czech athlete of the year award – Tennis News
After concluding her career-best WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) season this year, current world number two, Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic, has been bestowed by the Czech athlete of the year award for 2011.
21-year-old tennis sensation had a phenomenal tennis season this time, breaking into the Top-3 of the WTA World Rankings for the first time in her career. Kvitova took off the 2011 season as the world number 34 player but rocketed away to the second spot
by the end of the year after bagging a number of accomplishments.
Kvitova has already taken the WTA Player of the Year award this year and was also honoured with the World Champion title by ITF (International Tennis Federation) last week. The Czech won six WTA championship titles this season, including the all-prestigious
Grand Slam tournament, Wimbledon Championships as well. She outplayed the former world number one, Maria Sharapova of Russia, in straight sets in the final of the mega event at the Flushing Meadows.
The second ranked Kvitova finished the year 2011 on an emphatic note, bagging the coveted trophy at the circuit grand finale, WTA Championships. Her performances with the racquet this season have made her one of the most feared competitor in the women’s
circle and the Czech believes it’s just the beginning.
The left-hander won 60 of the 73 matches she played this year, along with a bag full of championship titles to become the most successful player of the season. Kvitova’s physical fitness throughout the season has been the key to her success and the reason
for her nomination for the prestigious athlete of the year award as well.
Kvitova led the Czech squad in the Fed Cup final against the strong Russian side last month and played a pivotal role in bringing home the first ever Fed Cup title. The 21-year-old has bagged a number of achievements while representing Czech Republic and
no doubt she was the most deserving sportswomen for winning the athlete of the year award.
A panel of sports journalists decided the winner of the Czech athlete of the year award out of a number of top class performers from the country. Jaroslav Kulhavy came on the second spot after he won the Mountain Bike World Championships in Champery this
year. However, Kvitova was unanimously chosen by the senior journalists as the winner of the coveted award.
The Czech tennis squad, which was led by Kvitova and won the first Fed Cup title for her nation, was announced as the team of the year by the jury.
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