Rebecca Šramková. (source: TASR)
On Sunday, Slovak tennis player Rebecca Šramková captured her maiden title at the 2024 Thailand Open Hua Hin by defeating Laura Siegemund 6-4, 6-4. The 27-year-old became the first Slovak WTA champion since Anna Karolína Schmiedlová won Bogota 2018.
"I would like to dedicate this trophy to my grandpa, who is healing from cancer," she said on the court, as quoted by WTA Tennis. "I would like to give it to him."
Šramková appears to be surging; more than a week ago she made her first WTA final in Monastir, Tunisia, and on Monday she is one step closer to qualifying for the WTA 1000 in Beijing after she defeated Slovenian Tamara Zidansek.
When looking at the WTA ranking, Šramková has a reason to smile, having jumped from 102nd to 61st place in singles after participating in both finals. This is her career best. Until now, her personal best was 89th place this May. Before the current season her personal best was 111th place in 2017.
At the same time, Šramková has become the new best Slovak female tennis player, as Anna Karolína Schmiedlová, who wowed tennis fans at this year's Olympics, is currently 109th.
Šramková's journey is not an ordinary story, far from it. She was born with a condition that left her with little sight in her left eye. As a child, she began sorting lentils, which was intended to help her cope with the condition. But when she was little, she also picked up tennis in the hope that the coordination necessary for the game would improve her eyesight. Although that did not happen in the end, she learned that she could still play tennis.
"I don't know what it's like to see well. I tried wearing contact lenses, but my vision was not that different and I couldn't stand the feeling," Šramková told the WTA website.
After she reached her personal best in 2017, she suffered a back injury that put her out of the game for a significant period. Then she battled shoulder, abdominal and leg injuries as well. But there is more.
Kicked out of the house
Still in 2017, Šramková and her father, Jozef, who had coached her for several years, had a falling-out.
"In my teenage years, a few things happened that would surprise a lot of people if I were to share them. Which is why we broke up; which is why he kicked me out of the house. I had to stand on my own two feet without a single cent," she opened up in an interview with Sportnet.
"At that time, I realised that I love tennis and that I would stick with it even if I had to die of hunger. In fact, after leaving home, I ate rice for three months because I couldn't afford food or a coach. It's really a miracle that I managed to take care of myself. My father didn't think so; he was convinced that I wouldn't manage, that I would come back and beg him," she added.
Defeating Italian tennis stars
Eventually, in 2017, she earned some money when she surprisingly won both of her matches as part of the Slovak Fed Cup team, defeating Italian tennis stars Sara Errani and Francesca Schiavone, despite being ranked outside the top 100.
During this difficult time, it was her grandfather that stood by her. That is why she dedicated her title to him.
"I want to be someone," she said. "That's why we do this sport - to be someone. You see all the other girls around you fighting to be someone, and you want that, too. That's what keeps me pushing."
The Slovak talent has supposedly put the past behind her; although she still doesn't communicate with her father, she says that she no longer holds anything against him.
