About this episode
Hana Mandlíková was, according to Bud Collins, “the least understood player of her generation.” A 4-time major champion, Hana was “some whimsical genius,” the presumed successor to the Evert-Navratilova reign, and at times she sure did make their lives difficult. But let’s dispense with the “next” whoever and the what ifs – Hana on her own is a fascinating figure, an explosive talent with a creative, athletic, and captivating serve-and-volley game. With the help of Hana’s memoir and contemporary accounts, we learn what it was like to be an internationally recognized athlete playing for a strict Communist government shaken by the defection of Martina Navratilova and other major athletes. We interrogate a bit about why Czech(oslovakia) has produced such a deep bench of tennis talent since the early 20th century. Hana Mandlíková is one of its greatest exports: a gifted, straight-talking tennis wunderkind who we hope is becoming both more understood and more appreciated. 4:40 You can’t argue with the résumé 11:00 A very quick history of Czechoslovakian tennis 21:00 Hana’s origins and the Prague Spring 27:45 Life as an Eastern Bloc athlete abroad; and Martina’s defection 35:40 1980: the jump off 39:00 Excitement builds around Mandlíková: those pesky “next Navratilova” proclamations 49:15 Big chat: Hana’s mouth gets her in trouble 55:20 1985 US Open: The crowning achievement 60:55 No what ifs 68:15 Hana & Jana 71:50 Learnings