Jarmila Groth現在是個澳洲人了 - 網球 Tennis

http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/news/jarkas-an-aussie-20091123_2256076_
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Jarka's An Aussie

CANBERRA, Australia - She fell in love with the country on her first visit
Down Under as a 14-year-old, already speaks English with a charming Aussie
twang, and married her very own "country boy" - fellow tennis professional
Sam Groth - earlier this year. Following a citizenship ceremony held today at
the National Museum of Australia in Canberra, Jarmila Groth is now also the
holder of a much-anticipated Australian passport.

"It's a dream come true," said the amiable Slovak-born 22-year-old, who
established residency in Australia in 2004 and became a member of the
Australian Institute of Sport Pro Tour program in late 2007. "I am incredibly
excited and proud to become a citizen of this great nation, whose people have
welcomed me so warmly and have made me feel at home since the very first time
I came here."

Until now, Groth - formerly Gajdosova - has been ineligible to play for her
adopted homeland outside the four Grand Slam tournaments, but with
citizenship confirmed she can represent the country in Fed Cup and indeed all
events on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. "Tennis Australia and the Australian
tennis community in general have been very supportive throughout the entire
process and I am really looking forward to representing Australia year round
- and doing so successfully," she said.

As well as being great news for Groth and her husband on a personal level,
the development bolsters Australia's tennis stocks, already riding high with
Sam Stosur on a career-high ranking of No.13.

"Jarmila has considered herself an Australian since she first started
training here as a teenager so we are thrilled she has finally been able to
formalize the process," said Craig Tiley, Tennis Australia's director of
tennis. Fed Cup captain David Taylor added: "We have a fantastic group of
Aussie girls playing Fed Cup. The opportunity to include Jarmila into
the mix adds even more strength to our team."

Bratislava-born Groth was a member of the Slovak Fed Cup team in 2003. Her
best Tour result to date has been a semifinal finish at Japan Open in Tokyo
in 2008, and she has reached the quarterfinals a further four times. Five of
her 11 ITF Circuit titles have been won on Australian soil.

However, Groth has been out of action since the US Open, where she suffered
an ankle injury shortly after reaching a new career high of No.57. But she is
reportedly on track to make her non-Slam Tour debut under the Australian flag
at the Brisbane International at the start of the 2010 season.

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