Safarova wins Fed Cup Heart Award

The ITF today announced that Lucie Safarova has won the final Fed Cup Heart Award of 2015 in recognition of her performance during Czech Republic’s semifinal victory against France in Ostrava in April.

Safarova has represented her country in Fed Cup for the past 12 years having made her debut in 2004 at the age of 17. She has played a total of 19 ties, and been a member of three Fed Cup Final winning teams in 2011, 2012 and 2014. In April’s semifinal, she gave Czech Republic a winning start against France, saving five match points to defeat Caroline Garcia 46 76(1) 61 in the opening rubber.

Safarova was presented with a cheque for US$10,000, which will be donated to her chosen charity, Movement Without Help Foundation, a Czech charity that supports people with spinal injuries and illnesses. The presentation was made on Friday by ITF President David Haggerty after the draw ceremony for the 2015 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Final between Czech Republic and Russia at City Hall in Prague.

Safarova said: "It’s such great news. I’m really happy. It’s an honour to get such a prize and I would like to thank all the fans who voted for me. You always play with you heart in Fed Cup and I love to play for my team. It means a lot for me to win this award."

Safarova was shortlisted for the award alongside Petra Kvitova (CZE), Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) and Elena Vesnina (RUS). All four players competed in the World Group semifinals in April and helped their nation reach the Final, which is taking place at the O2 Arena in Prague on 14-15 November.

The players were shortlisted by the Heart Award judging panel, consisting of ITF President David Haggerty and a mixture of former players and members of the international media. A public vote, which ran on 26-29 October, was held on FedCup.com and FedCup.com/es to decide the winner.

A total of six Heart Awards have been presented in 2015. Safarova follows in the footsteps of Flavia Pennetta (ITA), Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU), Cagla Buyukakcay (TUR), Veronica Cepede Royg (PAR) and Tamarine Tanasugarn (THA), who were honoured earlier this year.

ITF President David Haggerty said: "I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Lucie for her longstanding commitment to the Czech Republic team and some outstanding performances. She has played a key role in her team’s success in recent years, during which she has demonstrated her fighting qualities and a strong team spirit."

The Fed Cup Heart Award is an ITF initiative that was first presented to USA's Melanie Oudin at the 2009 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Final. It aims to recognise players who have represented their country with distinction, shown exceptional courage on court and demonstrated outstanding commitment to their team.

Fed Cup by BNP Paribas is the World Cup of Tennis. It is the largest annual international team competition in women’s sport, with 99 nations entered in 2015. The event celebrated its 50th birthday in 2013 in the ITF’s centenary year. The title sponsor is BNP Paribas, the Official Bank of Fed Cup. Adecco (Official HR Sponsor) is an international sponsor and beIN SPORTS is the Official Global Media Rights Partner.

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