Czech talent plays for Poland. One step away from Grand Slam

Women's tennis in Poland has been doing really well for a few years now. Initially, Agnieszka Radwańska led the way, and after "Isia" ended her career, the legacy was taken over by Iga Świątek and a few other interesting players.

Linda Klimovicova wins in Paris. The Czech plays for Poland

Behind Świątek are currently the most experienced player in the group – Magda Linette – and Magdalena Fręch, a tennis player in the top thirty of the WTA ranking. The player from Łódź is in 25th place, Linette in 33rd, and Świątek, after recent, slightly worse performances, is currently the world number 5.

If you dig even deeper, the next best Polish player in the WTA ranking is Maja Chwalińska. Świątek's best friend is climbing the career ladder and although it is certainly much harder for her than the champion from Raszyn , she probably hasn't said the last word in her career yet. Chwalińska is currently number 133. Then Katarzyna Kawa, at position 143 and the one who is worth watching in particular, the Czech defending Polish colors - Linda Klimovicova. Currently number 192 in the world.

Where did the idea for the Czech talent to play for Poland come from? Klimovicova comes from Olomouc and is 20 years old. Her father is Czech, and her mother is from Poland. Since 2020, coach Jaroslav Machovsky has been operating in Poland, specifically in Bielsko-Biała. While working at the BKT Advantage club, he first took care of training the aforementioned Chwalińska, and then convinced Klimovicova to come to Poland.

Klimovicova became the most famous when she reached the junior Wimbledon semi-finals. That was 2022. And in October, just two years later, it was announced that the tennis player had received Polish citizenship.

facebook

The Czechs did not cause their player any procedural problems, looking to the tennis federation. And they could. But really, considering all the circumstances – first and foremost the player's daily functioning in Poland – this move seemed completely natural.

Klimovicova has already won six ITF tournaments in her career. This is a direct WTA background. On Thursday (May 22) in the second round of qualifications for the Grand Slam tournament in Paris, the Pole defeated the Thai Manachaya Sawangkaew in two sets (6:2, 6:3), reaching the final of this part of the competition. If Klimovicova wins one more match, she will find herself in the draw of the main tournament of the Grand Slam for the first time in her career.

Unfortunately, at the same time, Thursday was not a lucky day for two other Polish qualifiers. Both Chwalińska and Kawa lost their matches – over the course of her career, she has been more comfortable as a doubles player.

Twitter

And as we know, the "Queen of Paris" on the Roland Garros courts has been Świątek for several years. Let us recall that the Pole won here four times, in the following editions: 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024. Klimovicova certainly has the best possible point of reference when looking at Polish tennis. And there are many indications that in the near future, the senior Grand Slam debutant may become Świątek's teammate.

There are many indications that the team captain Dawid Celt will look kindly on Klimovicova's great talent. It seems that this player may be really loud in the coming years, if only health allows.

It is worth adding that the Roland Garros 2025 qualifying matches and the main tournament are and will be shown on Eurosport and the MAX platform.

Read also: This is the new director of the Polish national team? "I approach it with ease and distance" Read also: Four-time Polish champion is dead! Shock in the world of sports