Fed Cup by BNP Paribas - Ursula Radwanska Speaks
Ursula Radwanska tells us about her health, being a younger sister and… French bulldogs.
It’s early afternoon at the Cracow Arena. The seats are all empty but the court is not. Every moment of court time is being used for practice. The Radwanska sisters are serving and the team captain Tomasz Wiktorowski marks the spots where their balls land. They are all within a couple of inches of each other. Which is as it should be. Everything needs to be perfect.
Ula is in shape. She is injury free and had a good start to this season, which she feels is quite promising.
– I feel my game coming back and I hope to be back in the top 30 this year. I reached the quarterfinal at Auckland and made it through qualifying of the AO. These two tournaments are the reason I was asked to play this Fed Cup tie – says the younger of the Radwanska sisters.
That will never change – she will always be the younger sister. For many years that is how it worked on the court as well – she was always playing catch up to Agnieszka. That could not have been easy but it does not bother Ursula – she is used to questions about her sister. There have been less lately.
– We do not travel together, we do not train together, we play differently, different coaches, we are on different paths. Agnieszka reached the top very quickly and I have had to struggle with injuries… it has bothered me in the past but now I am seen as “just Agnieszka’s sister” far less often.
And this is where our conversation stops as Ula’s six month old French bulldog comes hurtling around a corner to greet her.
– This is Gadula, we have been together since November. He lives with me in Cracow and in Warsaw and when I am away at a tournament I leave him with either my parents or my friends. He is very friendly – says the tennis player.
Gadula looks at the practicing Russians and they in turn look at him. He is not in the least bit intimidated.