"As soon as you lose two matches, people say, 'Oh, she’s going down' and then you win two matches and they go She's a star" - Fruhvirtova on dealing with expectations as a rising player

Linda Fruhvirtova will have a chance to become the youngest WTA champion since Coco Gauff triumphed in Parma last year and the attention is something she's used to.

Fruhvirotva has been known to the wider tennis fanbase for quite some time as she made a name for herself by winning her first professional match at age 14. The Czech player has since become a fairly solid player who will make her top 100 debut after a strong run in Chennai.

If she wins in the final, Fruhvirtova will rise even further on the rankings, up to 70-something. Right now she's 97th which is a jump of almost 40 spots and it comes after a maiden run to a WTA Final. Her opponent will be a much more experienced Magda Linette who is heavily favoured in that one.

Still, being in the spotlight doesn't affect her that much, she's been in the spotlight since being discovered and touted as a huge talent:

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“Since I was really young, we always had a lot of attention, even if it was the national U-10 tournament. I’m kind of used to people watching how I am going to do."

Speaking further on the pressures of tennis, Linda noted:

"However, in tennis, as soon as you lose two matches, people say, 'Oh, she’s going down' and then you win two matches and they go 'She’s a star.' You can’t really focus on what other people are saying. That’s not where my focus is going.”

Fruhvirtova has a younger sister who is also a huge talent, perhaps even one bigger than herself. She's currently also ranked inside the top 200 and playing really strong tennis at age 15.

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Her dream run continues 🤩 Linda Fruhvirtova digs deep and moves past Podoroska for a spot in the final! #ChennaiOpen

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