Getting to Know: Klara Fabikova

California women’s tennis player Klara Fabikova entered the 2014-15 season with an ITA preseason singles ranking of 60th after ending last season at No. 86 with a 34-10 record. Prior to Friday, when the team opened play in the USTA/ITA Northwest Regional Championships,  CalBears.com caught up with the junior in this edition of Inside the Lair's "Getting to Know..." spotlight.

CalBears.Com How did you get into playing tennis?

Klara Fabikova: First, my brother started playing and my parents were always busy at work so I had a lot of after school activities. The tennis club was really close to our apartment, so I would just start spending my afternoons there. I was in the first grade when I started playing tennis, so maybe I was five or six.

CB: Did your brother play at a high level?

KF: He played the ITF tournaments as well so actually for about a year, we traveled to our tournaments together and we had the same coach, so that was really fun. Then he ended up going to college in Illinois for about a year, but then he decided to go back home to work and study instead. He played at Illinois as well.

CB: Have your parents come to watch you play?

KF: They’ve been out here twice now, and they always come in the fall. I’m trying to get them to come out in the spring because it is a lot more fun to watch the team then. So after two years, assuming we make it to NCAAs, they’ve decided to come to NCAAs as well. They’ll be flying out to Texas with us, so I’m really excited for that.

CB: Do you like playing singles or doubles more?

KF: It depends. I like to play both because I feel like when I play doubles first – when we play in the spring – it’s so much fun and I’m so much more relaxed. When I get on the singles court, I feel so much more relaxed, and it gives me a lot of confidence. The combination of playing both is great.

CB: What do you like most about the renovations at the Hellman Tennis Complex?

KF: It’s the lockers – it’s so cool to have them – and having the fans come all the way to the back courts. Last year I played on the fifth court, so sometimes it felt a little lonely when the fans would only be in the stands around the first court. I’m excited to have fans all the way at the back courts. It’s going to feel great. I think we’re going to have a better atmosphere this year.

CB: What’s your favorite memory of playing tennis?

KF: It’s so hard to pick one. But when I realized I could not play the ITF tournaments anymore, my favorite memory became the travel and playing in tournaments all over the world. When I was 17, it was just so much fun. Then suddenly you’re 18, and I had to finish high school and I came here, and it’s not there anymore. I think that’s when I realized I missed that life, because I played in the Australian Open, all the grand slams, and just traveled the world while playing all sorts of tournaments.

CB: What do you want to do after graduation?

KF: When I got here, I wanted to play pro after graduation. This year, I took a little step back and I’ve been focusing on a career. But I think my tennis is going quite well, so I’m not really sure what’s going to happen. Over the summer, I was interning at this golf course, and I was working with marketing and event management. I really liked the event management part because you’re still really close to the sports and you don’t have to sit behind the computer all day. It’s a pretty diverse job. That would be a great job to have after I graduate.

CB: Did you have any tennis idols growing up?

KF: I really liked to watch Kim Clijsters.

CB: What kind of music do you like?

KF: I went to a few concerts this summer. I went to Ed Sheeran, Avicii, and I went to this electronic music festival to visit Cessi [Cecilia Estlander], and that was super fun. But other than that, I really like Coldplay, One Republic, Imagine Dragons and Taylor Swift.

CB: Where were the concerts you went to?

KF: It was back at home. Actually, I went to visit my friend in Vienna, and the first two concerts were on the same weekend, so it was a great way to spend the weekend. I got to see Vienna, see my friend and go to the concerts. It was really nice.

CB: Do you control the music when your team practices?

KF: Actually, yeah. I’m the big music person on the team, so I create playlists during practice, and we also have pre-match playlists where everyone gets to pick two songs each and we listen to it before the match. Because we have people from different countries, sometimes you hear songs in a different language. You’ll hear a song in Czech, Swedish; it is fun. In that way you get to explore music from different countries.

CB: Do you play music in your locker room?

KF: Now that we have our own locker room, yeah. It is fun; I’ve been trying to play some music in the locker room now.

CB: What’s your favorite meal?

KF: Well, if I had to go with dessert I would pick something with dark chocolate and raspberries. Everyone on the team knows that raspberries are my thing. But I really like sushi and I like Italian, but I think my favorite meal would be lamb with mashed potatoes and vegetables.

CB: What’s your favorite Czech meal?

KF: I think my favorite Czech meal would be roasted duck with dumplings and cooked sweet cabbage. We usually cook that when it’s Martin’s Name Day, which is on the 11th of November. It’s a tradition we have back at home.

CB: Have any of your teammates been to the Czech Republic?

KF: Cessi came after freshman year. She came for about a week; she went to Prague. I think she really enjoyed it, and hopefully she wants to come back.

CB: When you’re in the United States, do you miss being in close proximity to other countries when you’re back home?

KF: It’s different. You can drive less than two hours and you will be somewhere with a completely different culture speaking a completely different language. It’s crazy. Coming here, you get to see how valuable life is in Europe and the ability to see so many different cultures. It just opens your horizons.

CB: How does your hometown of Brno compare to Berkeley?

KF: My hometown is just like a regular town. I don’t live in the city; I live in the village that is close by. I feel like I can experience the countryside and the city. But here, even if you live far away from the university, it’s like you still live in the city. I think that’s a pretty big difference. Here, the cities are pretty spread out, but in my hometown it’s like a city surrounded by a lot of villages where you can live and experience the non-city life.

CB: Do you have any nicknames?

KF: Here, they call me Fabi or Karrinka.

CB: What are three things you would like people to know about you?

KF: I’m a team player with a big heart; I’m big on integrity and sticking to my values; and I like to enjoy life and experience everything and travel.