At 18 years old, a decade before Barbora Krejcikova triumphed at Wimbledon on Saturday, she faced a crossroads in her tennis career. Uncertain whether to pursue professional tennis or explore other paths like school, Krejcikova turned to a letter she wrote to her idol, 1998 Wimbledon champion Jana Novotna, in their native Czech Republic.
Novotna not only encouraged Krejcikova to continue with tennis, recognizing her talent but also became her mentor until her passing in 2017 from cancer.
“Before she passed away,” Krejcikova recalled, “she urged me to go and win a Slam.”
And she did just that, clinching her first major title as an unseeded player at the French Open three years ago. Now, Krejcikova has added another trophy to her collection with a hard-fought 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 victory over Jasmine Paolini in the Wimbledon final at the All England Club.
After the match, Krejcikova took a moment to view her freshly engraved name on the Wimbledon champions’ board in Centre Court, where she also saw Novotna’s name.
“I was overwhelmed with emotion,” Krejcikova shared. “I miss Jana a lot. I think she would be proud.”
Despite battling a back injury and illness earlier in the season, Krejcikova’s journey to Wimbledon victory was unexpected, especially with a 7-9 record for 2024 before arriving at the grass-court major.
Even after securing victory on her third match point, Krejcikova admitted that the magnitude of her achievement may still be hard for her friends, family, and herself to fully grasp.
Krejcikova was seeded 31st out of 32 women at Wimbledon this year. She faced doubts after a tough three-set match in the first round.
However, by the end of the tournament, Krejcikova found herself opposite the seventh-seeded Paolini in the final, who praised her opponent’s impressive tennis skills.
Krejcikova is the eighth woman in the last eight years to win Wimbledon. Last year’s champion, Marketa Vondrousova, also from the Czech Republic, was unseeded and lost in the first round this year.
Paolini, who was the runner-up at the French Open last month, achieved a rare feat by reaching the finals at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same season. However, she became the first since Venus Williams in 2002 to lose both finals.
“If I can maintain this level,” said Paolini, a 28-year-old from Italy, “I believe I can accomplish great things.”
The Wimbledon final between Krejcikova and Paolini was highly competitive. The last game was especially tense, lasting 14 points, with Krejcikova having to save two break points before securing victory on her third match point when Paolini missed a backhand shot.
“I kept telling myself to stay courageous,” Krejcikova commented. In addition to her singles success, she has also won seven Grand Slam titles in women’s doubles, including two at Wimbledon, and three in mixed doubles.
Krejcikova dominated early in the match, winning 10 of the first 11 points and five of the first six games. The crowd, hoping for a closer contest, cheered loudly for Paolini, shouting encouragements like “Forza!” (Italian for “Let’s go!”) and “Calma!” (Italian for “Be calm!”).
“Krejcikova was hitting the ball early,” Paolini observed, “and moving me around the court.”
Early in the match, Paolini seemed affected by tiredness lingering from her lengthy semifinal against Donna Vekic, which lasted 2 hours and 51 minutes — the longest in Wimbledon women’s singles history.
However, after a break in the locker room before the second set, Paolini gained momentum. She started dominating more of the extended rallies from the baseline, while Krejcikova began making more mistakes.
The turning point came in the final set when Paolini struggled from a 3-all tie. She double-faulted for the first time that afternoon, leading to a break of her serve. Krejcikova then won her service game without losing a point to go up 5-3, eventually closing out the championship despite facing tough moments towards the end.
During the trophy presentation, much like she did after winning the singles title in Paris in 2021, Krejcikova expressed how influential Novotna has been in her tennis career and life in general.
Later at her news conference on Saturday, Krejcikova revealed that Novotna often appears in her dreams, where they have conversations with each other.
When asked what she would say to Novotna now that they are both Wimbledon champions, Krejcikova humorously replied, “Well, I think I would turn it around. I would like to hear what she would tell me,” smiling as she spoke.
