07.05.2007 | A month before the opening ceremony of UniCredit open (3 to 9 june, 150.000 USD + H) a tournament related press conference took place in Prague. And who were the people siiting at the conference table? Chief executive and chairman of Živnostenská Banka, Ing. Jiří Kunert, managing director of TK PLUS and the owner of Česká sportovní a.s., dr. Miroslav Černošek, and finally Jiří Novák, who is going to play his last match at the tournament.
„Živnostenská banka has supported the tournament for thirteen years. For the tenth time it is a titular or one of the main partners and we highly appreciate its assistance,“ says managing director of TK PLUS dr. Miroslav Černošek. „I am very thankful to Jiří Kunert and also the management of the bank that they put trust in our project. Then we had been at the right time at the right place and we started to create a tournament philosophy that would reflect the economic conditions of the Czech Republic. And engagement of the Czech top players had been established as one of our key intentions.„
Organizing company TK PLUS has signed the contract with the UniCredit banking house for next three years.
„Živnostenská banka likes the organizers‘ philosophy – to focus on the Czech top players, talented and promising players from abroad and to set economically real aims,“ stated the chief executive of the bank Jiří Kunert. „Furthermore the organizers in Prostějov have always acted as perfect professionals, their organisation and management of the tournament have always been illustrious.“
And Jiří Novák? Last year he announced he had wanted to finish his career on the domestic tennis-courts. „I live in Prostějov and I like the tournament. To say good bye to tennis audience in Prostějov I simply considered proper. I set off my career here, I got to know many devoted people here and I have always enjoyed playing here.“ However, this tournament doesn’t necessarily have to be his last one … “I help to train young tennis players and for example, the last winner of junior US Open, Dušan Lojda, has got a chance to get a wild-card for the main competition at the challenger in Košice. My participation is required and I am definitely going to support him.” The former Number 5 of the world tennis understands quite well that competition in Prostějov will be tough; nonetheless he is determined to devote all his power to win. “I am training hard, I want to play well, but I know it won’t be easy..”
In last years Jiří Novák acted as a tournament ambassador and he intends to carry on this function. “The Prostějov Challenger has been appreciated as one of the best in the world for years. Such solicitude and conditions for tennis are not usual even at the tournaments of much higher class,” says the great patriot from Prostějov.
