5
Biofile: The Andrea Petkovic Interview
6 Comments · Posted by Scoop Malinowski in Articles, Scoop
By Scoop Malinowski
Status: WTA #27 ranked player. Has won three career WTA singles titles including Charleston this year. Career high ranking was #9 in 2011. Has reached semifinals at Roland Garros.
DOB: September 9, 1987 In: Tuzla, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina (plays for Germany flag)
Ht: 5-11 Wt: 152
First Tennis Memory: “The wall at the club I grew up in. My dad was a coach. There was a big tennis wall and I spent a lot of time there.”
Tennis Inspirations: “Serena Williams and Steffi Graf. And Andy Roddick was my favorite player growing up.”
Last Book Read: “I’m reading two books right now, I’m reading Don Quixote by Cervantes and The Roman Empire by Marcus Aurelius.”
Greatest Sports Moment: “Would be when we won Fed Cup in Japan. And we went up to first World Group. Because our Fed Cup captain Barbara Rittner decided to play with a young team and we were all very unknown and we managed to beat Japan and go up to first World Group. It was the best moment of my career.”
Most Painful Moment: “Was Australia 2008 when I tore my ACL in the first round, it was my first TV match, my first big court match against a top player. After five minutes I tore my ACL and I was out for eight months.”
Strangest Match: “In Cincinnati I beat Gadjosova. It was the strangest match because we played three hours ten minutes and I was non-stop on the defensive. She played incredible. She just went for everything. A hundred percent. And normally I’m the offensive one. I was three hours ten minutes on the defensive. That was so strange and so incredible that this match will stay in my mind for a long time.”
Embarrassing Tennis Memory: “US Open Series in Carlsbad, when I had a stomach virus and I got sick on the court. And they wouldn’t let me take a bathroom break in the changeovers. So it’s 4-0 and 40-love and it just came up. And I ran off the court and full sprint, I just ran off the court, left everything in the court and puked behind the tree [laughs].”
Closest Tennis Friends: “My closest friends are probably the German girls, we get along great. And Ana Ivanovic.”
Funniest Players Encountered: “Well, Sania Mirza is incredibly funny. (Why her? Nobody mentions her as funny in my experience doing these interviews.) She is just so sarcastic. She just knows how to tell a stories really, really funny. I always laugh a lot when I’m around her. And Schiavone. She’s so funny, she has an incredible sense of humor. Boys…I would say Novak Djokovic. (By the way I interviewed Sania and she said you’re the funniest.) Oh yeah. That’s funny. Because we probably are always funny when we talk together. At each other, at least.”
Toughest Competitors Encountered: “I would say Radwanksa. Agnieszka. I lost to her six times I think already. And every time I play her we play great matches but I always end up on the losing part. She lost here unfortunately because I really wanted to get revenge. I told her, Agnieszka, I’m gonna get you one day [smiles]. And she’s really funny. I get along with her great. She always laughs, she said, Yeah, yeah, okay. And she beat me every time again [laughs].”
Why Do You Love Playing Tennis: “Oh, tennis is just the biggest passion in my life, ever since, actually it became more my passion since I’m playing competitive tennis. I just love the competition. And, you know, tennis is just the truth. Either you win or you lose. And it’s on the court, if you’re better or worse. And then in life you can find a lot of excuses why something is not working out. And in tennis it’s just the naked truth.”
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Chocolate.”
Pre-Match Feeling: “I’m always very excited. I feel butterflies in my stomach. Sometimes when I don’t feel so well it can effect me. But most of the time I’m very positive and I’m very excited because I love playing and I love competing.”
First Famous Tennis Player You Met Or Encountered: “Boris Becker. I remember him playing an exhibition match near where I was visiting. And I played before him – there were two juniors, me and another girl, and then we got to meet him.”
Interesting Fact: “After tennis, I’d like to be a filmmaker. I’d really like to make a film. Also, to possibly be a reporter. But not about tennis. I studied political science.”
People Qualities Most Admired: “I really like honesty, because I’m very honest. But the quality I most admire is people who stay authentic because it’s very tough nowadays, with all the social media. To stay authentic and stay true to yourself. And there are rare people in this world who manage to do this. And I admire those a lot.”
You can read more of Scoop’s Biofile interviews here at his Biofile site
Scoop Malinowski · June 5, 2014 at 10:37 am
This is hands down one of the best tennis Biofiles I ever did and I’ve done close to a thousand.
Hans Landa · June 5, 2014 at 12:03 pm
nah scoop. you interview with dimitry was pretty good. this girl’s a flake – with that dance celebration nonsense, etc. glad to see that not lasting too long. 🙂
Hartt · June 5, 2014 at 6:37 pm
Petkovic comes across as a bright, charming young woman. She has said that she originally did the dance on a dare and then fans kept asking for it. Think she’s put the dance to rest.
Thanks for a very interesting Biofile. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Dan Markowitz · June 5, 2014 at 7:56 pm
I like Petkovic a lot. She’s an original. Just look at the books she’s reading. There isn’t another tennis player reading books like she does. She’s that rare competitor who doesn’t shut down and close out the people she competes against.
Scoop Malinowski · June 5, 2014 at 9:46 pm
Thanks Hartt, glad you liked it. Wilander actually told me he started the famous Vicht on a kind of dare from his friends Lundgren and Kroon. Funny how these things start. Yeah I really adore Petko it’s hard not too, she’s very nice very cool. You hope the best for her. She’s great for tennis.
Scoop Malinowski · June 5, 2014 at 9:54 pm
True Dan, so many of the players seem closed off from the rest of the players, they say it’s hard to be friends in such a competitive environment, Petko is one of the rare ones who seems socially popular among the other players. You have to like her for being able to accomplish that. I mean, I know some guys in USTA tourneys who play for years and just about never talk to anyone. They are so serious. I’m pretty darn serious about USTA tourneys too but I have actually made some good friends from USTA. Some enemies too 🙂 But am open to being future friends with these enemies too someday.