Krejcikova explained that no one can predict what awaits her. | Photo: Wikimedia
Barbora Krejcikova points out that she couldn’t have known she could win a Grand Slam singles title until she actually did so at Roland Garros three years ago.
It is therefore logical that when Krejcikova wore her new purple pin to a group of reporters at the All England Club on Saturday evening in honour of her Wimbledon victory, she could not have imagined that she would also win a second major prize.
And after claiming second place with a 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 victory over Jasmine Paolini in the final on Centre Court, Krejcikova explained that no one can predict what awaits her next.
Well, who knows what I can do? And what I can’t do? I mean, I don’t know, said the 28-year-old from the Czech Republic. Before Roland Garros, I didn’t know I could win a Grand Slam. Before here, I didn’t know I could win another Grand Slam. So who knows what I’m capable of? For me, the most important thing is to enjoy the journey. To be happy on the court. To have fun. And to combine all of that to feel good and be happy.
A reporter wondered if Krejcikova really enjoyed every second of the thrilling third set against Paolini?
Even when the score was 3-3? When victory seemed within reach for both players? When the tension, stress and pressure were probably at their peak?
Krejcikova didn’t hesitate for a moment before answering.
Yeah, I was happy. I really enjoyed the moment, she said. I was just fighting for every ball and just trying to get the momentum on my side. I was just trying to find a way to break her. I felt like I was serving well. So I believed that if I could break her, I could serve it.
Rather prophetic.
It turned out to be Paolini who broke down, double-faulting and getting broken, trailing 4-3. Just over 10 minutes later, the final was over and Krejcikova, who needs three match points to decide the match, threw her arms in the air and then climbed into the stands for a celebratory hug.
Krejcikova was seeded only 31st at Wimbledon (she was unseeded at Roland Garros in 2021) and arrived at the All England Club this year with a 7-9 record, partly due to a back injury and illness that kept her out.
But don’t let that fool you. She’s talented enough to have climbed to No. 2 in the WTA singles rankings and No. 1 in doubles in the past. She’s won seven Grand Slam singles titles, plus three more in mixed doubles.
“She really takes great angles with the shots. She’s a very complete player,” said Paolini, the first woman since Venus Williams in 2002 to lose the finals of both the French Open and Wimbledon in one season. “She’s that good.”
(Only the headline and image of this report may have been edited by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First print: Jul 14, 2024 | 11:34 PM IST