The facilities for twelve teams in Prague’s O2 arena are already being completed. The players will be going to be in the locker room, where everyone has a place with a name. The Czechs sit to the right of the captain according to the ranking. The cabins are decorated with a large-format photograph of Prague Castle with Charles Bridge, there are facilities for physiotherapy and a bathtub for an ice bath. From there, the Czech tennis players will go to the matches, on Monday Germany will be waiting for them, on Thursday Switzerland. Only the winner of the group will advance to Friday’s final.

She is looking forward to the rest of the season at the start of the O2 arena. Barbora Krejčíková is the biggest star of the BJK Cup. The player, who has been used to a handful of spectators at her court for most of her career, will suddenly be at the center of events at the home stadium for 12,000 fans. “I’m most looking forward to the arena as it will riot there. I hope I can do it on the court then, because I’m already thinking about it and my legs are shaking, “she said recently.

The champion Roland Garros is facing a difficult shift. Matches are played in one sequence for two singles and a final doubles. It starts with a duel of doubles, then it’s the team number one (Krejčíková should face Angelique Kerberová on Monday and Belinda Bencicová on Thursday). And in the event of a tie, she would also face a court debut alongside Kateřina Siniaková.

“Bara will play the single second and there is only a thirty minute break between matches, no matter what happens. This is very difficult for her, “Captain Petr Pála realizes how exhausting a shift can wait for Krejčíková. She has already declared that she is ready for everything and will go to every match in which the captain deploys her.

They are Olympic winners, champions of this year’s Roland Garros, they are third (Siniaková) and fourth (Krejčíková) on the doubles ranking. No team for Prague has such strength in doubles as the Czechs. But beware, just as it is a shaggy and partly lucky match for only three matches, the same is true for doubles.

It will not be played in the traditional style, but due to the faster course without advantages in individual games. This means that for the score of 40:40, the team that wins the next point gets the game. Instead of a potential third set, only a supertiebreak up to ten points is played. “Unfortunately, this is against us, we will not have as big in the doubles as we normally would. But again, what I remember, Katka and Bára managed three supertiebreaks in a row at the Olympics, “remarked Captain Pála.

Honey for Krejčíková and Siniaková! The Swiss defeated in two sets

The fact that four days after the final of the BJK Cup, the Champions Tournament starts in Guadalajara, Mexico, is a dagger in the back of the Prague company. The only star who dared to play this double battle, which means moving from the hall under the open sky and moving to an altitude of 1,500 meters, where she will also play with pressureless tennis players, is singer Barbora Krejčíková.

Garbina Muguruza and Paula Badosa, who took part in Mexico in recent days, withdrew from the Spanish nomination at the last minute. Karolína Plíšková or Aryna Sabalenková are missing due to the same problem. Thus, only two players from the top 10 (Krejčíková and Swiss Belinda Bencicová) and three other tennis players who are in the elite twenty WTA rankings (Angelique Kerberová, Anastasia Pavljučenkovová, Elise Mertensová) will start in Prague.

Two grand slam champions Victoria Azarenka and Sloane Stephens can also be counted among the attractions. To sum up – this is the field for a well-attended WTA mid-range tournament, the World Tennis Team Championship, as the BJK Cup says, deserves more.

Vondrouš was defeated by the dream of gold, now Bencicová enchanted Ostrava

Apart from the tennis players, only the main referees and collectors will be on display on the two blue courts of the O2 arena. As has recently become a trend in tennis, line judges are replacing technique. In Prague, an upgraded Hawk Eye Live system will be used, which reports the effects of balls or foot errors when delivered in real time. This practice was approached due to the covid pandemic, where the goal is to reduce the number of people needed to run as much as possible. The whole teams will sit directly on the court, they have already prepared suitable chairs, in front of which a screen will be added.

After the first wave of interest, ticket sales slowed. The first two days will be played simultaneously in the main hall (capacity 12,000 seats) and in the smaller O2 universe (2,000 seats), from Wednesday onwards there will be only a central court in permanence. So far, only 55 percent of the hall’s capacity has been sold out for Czech matches, and 45 percent on Tuesday and Wednesday. The greatest interest was in the finals semi (Friday) and Saturday), for the last rounds the tickets are dismantled from two thirds. “This shows that Czech fans are optimistic and believe in progress. I am still convinced that sales will accelerate and will be sold out for Czech matches, “said Karel Tejkal, the spokesman for the Czech team.