Petra Kvitova Shares Views on Time, Tennis and Ritmo Mundo During the US Open Tennis Championships

With the US Open in full swing, we here at ATimelyPerspective have been bringing you some close-up looks at tennis stars and watch brands, and the synergies between them. We have also been conducting a series of interviews and “Five Fast Questions” with tennis stars about the game, the role of time and the watches on their wrists. Today, we talk with Petra Kvitova, tennis star and Ritmo Mundo brand ambassador. It was back in April that we first announced the partnership between this star and brand — and you can read those details here.  You can also read a series of interviews throughout taking place during the US Open both here and on our column on Forbes.com.

Meanwhile, on to our Three Quick Questions with Kvitova.

Q: How do you time your day — hours, minutes, seconds ? And how often do you glance at the watch on your wrist?

PV: “If I’m playing a match then I actually time my day backwards from the time the match starts. So I figure out what time I should eat before the match, what time I should warm-up for the match, even what time I should wake up in the morning all based on what time I need to be ready to step on the court. And it’s mostly in minutes because every minute on a match day is important for getting ready.”

Q: What piece of advice would you give to aspiring young tennis players?

PV: “I think it’s very important to remember to have fun. At the end of the day we should play tennis because we love it and it’s a wonderful sport. So don’t put pressure on yourself to work too hard all the time and remember it’s a game to enjoy first and foremost.”

Q: Who was your tennis idol growing up and why?

PV: “My idol growing up was Martina Navratilova. She is Czech like me and she was the first player I watched on television with my dad. I saw her making history at Wimbledon and I wanted to be like her. I am lucky that she has always supported me and I have got to spend time with her.”