If only ‘Throw me to the wolves, and I’ll return leading the pack’ had a better example than Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova! Today she is in the news for her incredible performance at the 2024 Italian Open. She is currently on a five-match winning streak here in Rome and has defeated America’s Sofia Kenin by 6-4,4-6,6-4 in the R32 clash. But if we look at her story from the past, Sramkova had to overcome impaired eyesight and injuries to reach where she is today. Her journey has truly been a story worth telling!

The 27-year-old Slovak tennis player made her debut in the main competition of the ITF Circuit in May 2012. She was just then 15 years old when she took part in a $10K tournament in Velenje, Slovenia. Rebecca Sramkova tasted her first ITF title on clay at Vrnjacka Banja $10K tournament in 2013. She played her first WTA match two years later in qualifying at Nottingham and then broke into the Top 200 for the first time in 2016. The right-handed talented Slovak tennis player reached the main draw of a Grand Slam event for the first time in her career at the 2017 Australian Open.

She’s currently coached by the former Slovak tennis player, Milan Martinec. Sramkova has won a total of 13 ITF titles so far in her career and her highest rank has been 111. She won the biggest title of her career at the 2016 Open de Biarritz (a $100K tournament). Sramkova made her WTA 1000 debut at the 2024 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. However, this year she has been looking quite impressive so far in Rome. This venue marked the fifth time in her career that Rebecca Sramkova has managed to win a main draw match. Is Rome going to be that stage she has been looking at over all these years? Time will tell!

Talking about time, well Sramkova has had a tough time over the years battling with multiple issues outside the court. She was born with a condition that left her with little sight in her left eye. In fact, she wanted to take up tennis as a sport in order to improve her hand-eye coordination. Describing her situation she said, “I don’t know how it is to see good. I tried wearing contact lenses. But the vision was not that much different and I couldn’t stand the feeling.“ Not only that, a severe back injury took her out of the game for quite a significant time in 2017.

She elaborated on her struggles with fitness over the years, stating, “Then I had problems with my shoulder and with my abs. When I started to play good again I had a stress fracture in my leg. That was two years ago. I had a surgery in 2022. My bone was in three pieces, and they took two pieces off. Well, it took me three more months to get back in shape.“ However, with every sunset, there is always a sunrise. And she’s now on the verge of making it to the Top 100. A dream come true for this young Slovak tennis star!

“I want to be someone” – Rebecca Sramkova is determined to create an identity for herself at the biggest stages of the game

Even after all these hardships, she has never thought of giving up even once! But what keeps her going? Sramkova said, “I want to be someone. 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.” She knows she can compete with big players and she wants to win more of such big matches in the upcoming days.

Sramkova is a big fan of Serena Williams and has grown up watching her play. She carries a small wolf toy with her during the tour. These are all characters depicting extreme levels of fighting spirit, something which she wants to instill in herself as well. During her time off the court, Rebecca Sramkova likes to paint to relax her mind. Share your thoughts on the rise of this Slovak tennis star in the middle of all these adversities.