Barbora Krejcikova pays tribute to former Wimbledon champion

July 12, 2024

Tennis News, Wimbledon, WTA Tennis Players

Barbora Krejcikova pays tribute to former Wimbledon champion after reaching final

Barbora Krejcikova has paid tribute to former Wimbledon champion Jana Novotna, after replicating her former coach by reaching the final at SW19.

Krejcikova fought back to beat former champion and tournament favourite Elena Rybakina, 3-6 6-3 6-4, to reach her first Grand Slam singles final since winning Roland Garros back in 2021.

The Czech woman reflected on her fighting spirit in the on-court interview after the match, “It’s unbelievable. It’s very tough to explain what I’m feeling right now but it’s a lot of joy, a lot of emotions, a lot of relief and I’m just super proud about my game and about my fighting spirit.

“I was down, I started zero-four. I was happy that I won the first game and then I was just trying to fight for every single ball. And then I felt during the second set somewhere in the middle I was getting momentum, and when I broke her I started to be in the zone, and I didn’t want to leave the zone!”

Krejcikova is the seventh Czech woman to reach the Wimbledon singles final in the Open Era, joining her former coach Novotna who reached the final twice before eventually winning the title in 1998.

Barbora Krejcikova becomes the seventh Czech-born woman to reach a #Wimbledon singles final in the Open Era ????????
▪️ Martina Navratilova
▪️ Hana Mandlikova
▪️ Jana Novotna
▪️ Petra Kvitova
▪️ Karolina Pliskova
▪️ Marketa Vondrousova
???? Barbora Krejcikova pic.twitter.com/NktFXVGMdw
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 11, 2024

Novotna sadly passed away in 2017 at the age of 49 after a battle with cancer, and Krejcikova emotionally paid tribute to her former mentor on Centre Court.

“A couple of years ago I was working with Jana Novotna, the 1998 Wimbledon winner. She was telling me a lot of stories about her journey here and how she was trying to win Wimbledon,” explained Krejcikova. “I was so far away when we had this talk. Now I am here and I am in a final.”

The World No.32 added, “Definitely. I remember thinking about Jana a lot. I have so many beautiful memories and when I step on the court here I’m just fighting for every single ball as that is what she would want me to do.”

This will be Krejcikova first Wimbledon singles final, but the 28-year-old has actually won the doubles title twice before with previous partner Katerina Siniakova.

On Saturday Krejcikova will take on Italian Jasmine Paolini, in only their second ever career meeting, and it appears that the former world No.2 is expecting a battle for the Wimbledon title.

“[It will be] a big fight. I know that she is a huge fighter and she showed [that] today, but it will be the same from me,” said Krejcikova. “We are playing great tennis and it will be a great match on Saturday.”

Inside the baseline…

It has been a fantastic tournament for Barbora Krejcikova, who has had a difficult year with both injury and illness struggles. After the draw had opened up many were expecting Elena Rybakina to cruise to the Wimbledon title, and it certainly looked that way when she went 4-0 up on Krejcikova in the first set. However, Krejcikova really dug in and found a way to keep in the rallies and combat Rybakina’s power to reach her second Grand Slam singles final.

Barbora Krejcikova vs Jasmine Paolini

Tomorrow, Krejcikova and Paolini will go head-to-head for one of the biggest prizes in sport, but their only previous meeting actually came in qualifying for a Grand Slam event!

Australian Open Qualifying First Round (2018):

Barbora Krejcikova beat Jasmine Paolini, 6-2 6-1

1 – This will be the first Women’s Singles Final (Jasmine Paolini v Barbora Krejcikova) at a Grand Slam during the Open Era where the two opponents previously met in a Grand Slam qualifier – Australian Open 2018. Improved. #Wimbledon | @wimbledon @WTA @WTA_insider pic.twitter.com/HRuN0FiGmS
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) July 11, 2024