Petra Kvitova, two-time Ladies' Singles Champion tells us what she loves about Wimbledon and offers some sound advice for young players.
What I love about Wimbledon: "There are so many things that I love about Wimbledon. I watched it on TV when I was young and when I was playing just for fun, and at that time I didn't imagine that I would ever have the opportunity to step on to the grass and actually win the trophy. I never even dreamed about that. Of course, it's my favourite tournament. I love playing on grass, but on top of that it's all the history. I can feel that history every time I play there. And playing in white is great - I'm pleased that the tournament has kept that tradition."
My advice for a young girl or boy who dreams of playing at Wimbledon: "When I was young, no one ever gave me advice like that. I was just playing tennis because I liked it and because I thought it was fun. And that's what any boy or girl should be doing now - playing tennis because they like it. They shouldn't be playing tennis because they have to. They should just be having fun and then if they have some good coaches and play well, it's about the work, the work and more work."
... that's what any boy or girl should be doing now - playing tennis because they like it
The most important shot at Wimbledon: "For sure, my favourite shot at Wimbledon is the serve because I'm left-handed. This is always the most important shot for me. Whether I am facing a break point, or I have a match point, I have that serve, and that's great to have that."
The number of bowls of strawberries and cream that I expect to eat during The Championships: "Actually, not that many as there is a lot of cream. Strawberries are good, but not if you have them with cream and sugar. I would say I will have probably one bowl, and a maximum of two."
The three words that I would use to describe the crowd: "Respectful, quiet, balanced."
The match that I would queue overnight to watch: "In the women's game, I would have queued to have watched Martina Navratilova - it wouldn't have mattered who she was playing against. On the men's side, I would like to watch Roger Federer, probably against Rafa Nadal or Novak Djokovic."
Henman Hill or Murray Mount? "I think that, after all the success that Murray has had at the All England Club, with the Olympics and then winning Wimbledon, I should call it Murray Mount."
My advice for a fan attending Wimbledon for the first time: "I know that they talk about the second Monday of the tournament - that's when all the singles players left in the draws are going to be playing - so that's probably the best day to go if you want to see the best players. I know that it's not easy to get tickets for the Show Courts, but it's great to be on the outside courts, as you can see some of the other players, including the juniors and doubles. There's a mix of everything on the outside courts."
My favourite outside court: "I like No. 2 Court."
My first memory of watching Wimbledon on television: "I remember seeing Martina Navratilova and she picked some of the grass from Centre Court."
My Wimbledon highlight: "I have two!"
See Petra Kvitova's full profile at Wimbledon.com
