On the 177th episode of the GreatBase Tennis (GBTE) podcast, Steve Smith has a conversation with Tomas Placatka. Steve's guest was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia (1972), and grew up in nearby Kladno.  Tomas's primary sport was ice hockey. He played at the professional level in his homeland and in Denmark. Like many of his fellow Czechs, tennis was his sport in the off-season.  Since retiring from hockey, he has worked in the healthcare industry. Yet tennis is his true passion. Tomas has coached part-time for ten years and is a dedicated student of our educational content. A number of topics were discussed; including thoughts on why the Czechs are so successful in tennis.