Young, precocious and competitive: the astonishing rise of the Fruhvirtova sisters

• Nadal Overtakes young Draper in a demanding match

"When we were younger, we always cheered on

and

. This day had to come, even though we wished it hadn't. It's like the end of an era. And now there's a generational change. New players are coming, like

. I think that now is the time for a changing of the guard."

These are the words of

, Czech, 17 years old, assessing the withdrawals of Serena Williams and Roger Federer.

Linda is the older of two players willing to energize the women's tour.

She and her sister

de ella, 15, have a place in the final draw of the Australian Open, another example of her dizzying projection.

At an age typical of impulsive attitudes, Linda, already 80th in the world, winner of her first WTA title last September in Chennai, manages a temperate speech, unimpressed by the good results.

She doesn't set short-term ranking goals for herself and she prefers to isolate herself from the logical stir that both she and her sister have caused on the circuit.

To know more

Australian Open.

New coach, bad results, a full Djokovic and a warning: "Nadal is now in Grand Slam mode"

• Writing: JAVIER MARTÍNEZ

New coach, bad results, a full Djokovic and a warning: "Nadal is now in Grand Slam mode"

In a country with a great tennis tradition, Linda and Brenda draw both logical and hasty analogies with the Williams sisters.

It is true that they walk quickly and that they already have the scaffolding that corresponds to the stars.

They wear Nike, play with Wilson and train at the academy of

, a guru with the air of a media star, the man who took Serena's corner in the second and also brilliant stage of her career.

together in a big

Linda is already 80th in the world and has entered the draw directly.

Brenda needed three qualifying matches, the last one against the Spanish

.

Linda fell against the Spanish

in the 2021 Wimbledon junior semifinals, before beginning to stand out with the majors.

The following spring she and she was eighth finalist at the WTA 1000 in Miami and months later she appeared at the United States Open, stopped by

in the second round.

Brenda, the fifth youngest player to play in the final draw of the Australian Open, won six ITF titles last year, below the WTA category, stringing 25 consecutive victories.

Last morning she lost in the first round against the Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich (7-5 ​​and 6-2).

Fast, young and feisty, they have traveled together to Melbourne.

"It's always been a goal to go to tournaments together. She's been playing incredibly well. She's a tough opponent for any player and I think she'll do well in the big tournaments," Linda says of her little sister.

So far the sequence is perfect: in 2019 it was Linda who won the title in Les Petits As, an unofficial junior world championship.

A year later, Brenda followed in her footsteps, setting an unusual precedent.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

• tennis

• Paula Badosa

• Garbine Muguruza