The long, lanky, 23-year-old Czech made good on her obvious ball-striking talent in 2015. She went 53–26, jumped from No. 24 to No. 11 in the rankings, more than doubled her career earnings and reached two important finals, in Dubai and at the WTA Elite Trophy. Pliskova, who led the tour in aces, showed off a shotmaker’s panache and power that belied her 159-pound frame. Few players can match the purity of her timing. At a time when the game is desperate for young talent, Pliskova has shown the ability to go toe to toe with anyone.
Sometimes, though, Pliskova seems incapable of doing anything other than gunning for glory. A card-carrying member of the go-big-or-go-home school, she fires away no matter what the score or the situation. Her laser-like winners can be awesome to behold, but their low margin for error makes for some unsightly losses as well. At the US Open, Pliskova lost 6–2, 6–1 in the first round to a player ranked 121st in the world.
In 2015, Pliskova proved she could win a lot; her 53 victories were tied for the most on tour. She is a high-risk, high-volume player; both of those things have helped her ranking skyrocket over the past few years. To take the next step, she may need to sacrifice some quantity for quality. Last year Pliskova was 4–9 against the Top 10, and 4–4 at the majors.
Being able to hit huge from the baseline and bail yourself out with your serve is a big deal on tour, and Pliskova can do both of those things. She should become a regular in the second week of Slams.
Ascending higher in the rankings will mean playing smarter, and possibly playing less while working on her game more. Can Pliskova change her style or her schedule? There hasn’t been much evidence of a desire to do anything differently so far.
The power ball-striking skills are there, in raw form. The question is whether Pliskova has the patience to polish them.
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