Keep an eye out for the nails of the current World No 4, Petra Kvitova – at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals 2014 Tennis Championships – as they will be carrying a piece of Singapore on them.

Kvitova shows off her newly painted nails. (Image: Nike Singapore).

Had her nails painted red and white with the Singapore flag

That’s because yesterday, at an event held at Shaw House’s Nike Store, the Czech Republic tennis player had gamely agreed to have her nails painted according to the Singapore colours. Furthermore, the design was completed with the local flag too.

Throughout the nail painting session, the reigning Wimbledon tennis champion was very patient and didn’t budge – and the tennis star was certainly pleased with the outcome too, based on the large grin on her face.

Fielded questions from eager students

At the same time, the current Wimbledon Singles champion fielded questions from eager students studying at the Anglo Chinese Junior College (ACJC) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU). They had also been invited to the Nike store to meet the tennis star.

The excited students had asked Kvitova a wide variety of questions and these ranged from finding out about the tennis star’s training regime to what she feels are her greatest tennis achievements.

And Kvitova, the first player born in the 1990s to win a Grand Slam to date, took it all in her stride, with a smile. This is definitely a testament to her friendly nature and easy-going personality.

Getting her nails painted.

Her greatest triumph is her Wimbledon win

Kvitova’s greatest triumph was her first Wimbledon win in 2011. Said Kvitova, “The feeling of playing in the final and winning Wimbledon for the first time, is so nice and it would be great to experience it again.”

And of course, following her second Wimbledon win earlier this year, she admitted that she is secretly hoping to get this addictive feeling yet again, by winning the WTA Tennis Finals.

Being a top tennis player requires hard work and sacrifice

However Kvitova admitted that being a top tennis player is far from easy and that a lot of hard work and sacrifice is needed in order to stay on top of the game.

Kvitova said, “I practise tennis twice a day and do some fitness preparation too. So it is about four to five hours per day of training and exercising, in total.”

Her father had originally ignited her interest in tennis

She originally became interested in tennis when her father took her to the courts at a very young age. Eventually she turned professional when she was 16. Then, an instructor had told her that she should consider a professional career in the sport.

Kvitova tends to students’ queries.

Life has changed since winning Wimbledon in 2011

Since winning her first Wimbledon title in 2011, Kvitova admitted that her life has changed pretty dramatically.

“It was hard for me to handle the pressure at first. I have always been a very private person, but after my win, people started to recognise me at my apartment and on the streets,” the tennis star explained. So then, she had to slowly get used to the fact that she was becoming more prominent.

She also feels that she may have changed a little bit as a person, since her 2011 Wimbledon win. “I had told myself that I didn’t want to change, but my circumstances have changed. So I think I may have changed too,” Kvitova said.

Looking forward to exploring Singapore

The World No. 4 is definitely looking forward to exploring Singapore and spending time getting familiar with our island’s shopping and local cuisine whilst she is competing in the WTA Tennis championships here.

Said Kvitova, “It’s my first time here in Singapore and I only arrived yesterday. So I haven’t really had time to explore Singapore yet.”

But she definitely hopes to see and do much more, during the short time that she gets here, to relax and recuperate from the demanding tennis games. “I would like to try some local delicacies perhaps today or the next day,” Kvitova said.

As well, she also gamely invited the students to give her tips on what she should see and do in Singapore – and the resounding answer was to try durians.

But the students quickly added that Kvitova would have to put up with the smell of the thorny fruit first – before digging her teeth into the yellow flesh! And this was immediately followed by friendly laughter from the teenagers.

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