Wimbledon 2024: 'Huge for me' - Barbora Krejcikova says emulating Jana Novotna's SW19 triumph 'very emotional'
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Updated 14/07/2024 at 07:13 GMT
Barbora Krejcikova's maiden Wimbledon triumph was a moving one as she emulated her late mentor Jana Novotna, the 1998 champion who gave her a route into professional tennis. Krejcikova explained after her win over Jasmine Paolini in Saturday's final that Novotna made her see Wimbledon as "the biggest tournament in the world" and described the "emotional moment" of following in her footsteps.
Wimbledon day 13 highlights: Krejcikova beats Paolini for first SW19 title
Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova says Jana Novotna made her appreciate “the biggest tournament in the world” and described emulating her late mentor by winning the ladies’ singles title as “very emotional.”
The Czech 31st seed defeated Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in three sets on Centre Court on Saturday to lift her second major singles title but her first at the All England Club.
In doing so, she followed in the footsteps of 1998 champion Novotna, her former friend, coach and mentor who died from cancer aged 49 in 2017.
There were emotional scenes after Krejcikova’s triumph when she saw her name listed on the honours board as one of the ladies’ champions, alongside that of Novotna.
And the 28-year-old, who won the French Open in 2021, explained how Novotna was integral in making her see Wimbledon as the ultimate goal in tennis.
“Winning any Slam is great," Krejcikova said. "Winning here at Wimbledon is huge for me.
“But I wouldn't really say it was my dream when I was very little. I have a little notebook that I wrote when I was 12.
“Maybe three, four months ago I was (looking) through that notebook. I wrote that in the future I would like to win the French Open. So it was quite a big dream for me to win the French Open.
“To be honest, maybe things shifted a little bit when I met Jana and she was telling me all the stories about Wimbledon, about the grass, how difficult it was for her to win the title and how emotional she was when she made it.
“I think since then I started to see Wimbledon as the biggest tournament in the world.”
Krejcikova was also asked in the post-match press conference what it meant to her to see her name alongside that of Novotna on the honours board at the All England Club.
“The only thing that was going through my head was that I miss Jana a lot,” she said.
“It was just very, very emotional. A very emotional moment to see me on a board right next to her.
“I think she would be proud. I think she would be really excited that I'm on the same board as she is because Wimbledon was super special for her.”
Krejcikova touched on the impact Novotna had on her career during her on-court interview, referring to a letter she had brought to the former Slam winner while she was a young player considering whether to pursue a professional career.
She expanded on their relationship in the media conference, saying that she worked with Novotna from the start of 2014 until her death in 2017, and explaining how the relationship started.
“I'm not exactly sure what I wrote in the letter right now,” Krejcikova said.
“But I wrote something like I'm playing tennis, that I'm 18, I just finished juniors, and that I don't know what to do right now. So if she could look at me and maybe help me, guide me, tell me which direction I should go.”
She added: “I think after the letter it was maybe like a week before we actually went to hit. Pretty much after that hit, we were basically in touch a lot.
“Then I think, I don't know how long it took, but it was quite quick when she started to help me, work with me, give her time to me.”
Krejcikova’s triumph continued an impressive history for her country at Wimbledon.
She is the second Czech winner in a row in the ladies’ singles, following Marketa Vondrousova.
Novotna was the first winner from the country at SW19, while Petra Kvitova followed suit with victories in 2011 and 2014.
Stream daily highlights from Wimbledon at 10pm UK time, as well as the two singles finals live on July 13 and 14, on discovery+
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