Barbora Krejcikova completes emotional comeback as Grand Slam champion

Just over three years and 13 Grand Slam appearances later, Krejcikova found herself a surprise finalist again, and she once again lived up to her promise. The 28-year-old Czech added a second Grand Slam singles trophy on tennis’ biggest stage Saturday by beating Jasmine Paolini, 6-2, 2-6, 6-4, on a packed and noisy Centre Court at the All England Club.

The victory brought a big smile to Krejcikova’s face, as she repeatedly told the crowd she couldn’t believe she was a Wimbledon champion. It brought tears to the eyes of Martina Navratilova, the Czech-born legend who has won the tournament a record nine times and was in the front row to watch Krejcikova triumph.

“Somewhere inside I was hoping I could win,” Krejcikova said. “But I didn’t know until the very last point.”

The flood of tears only came as Krejcikova walked off the court, looking at the board listing the champions’ names and seeing hers next to that of her late coach, Jana Novotna, from whom Krejcikova sought career advice when she sent a letter to the 1998 Wimbledon champion when she was at a crossroads at the age of 18.

Novotna and Krejcikova hit it off within a week of sending that letter, and Novotna ultimately opened up a world of possibilities for her young protégé. Krejcikova had long banked on her French Open victory as her tennis dream, and it was only once Novotna began sharing her memories of the torture and triumph of playing on grass and the thrill of finally lifting the trophy that Krejcikova began to think of Wimbledon as “the greatest tournament in the world.”

They worked together for about three years, until Novotna died of cancer in 2017 at the age of 49.

“Jana is the one who told me that I had the potential and that I should definitely become a professional and try to succeed. Before she died, she told me to go win a Grand Slam,” Krejcikova said. “I already achieved that in Paris in 2021, and it was an incredible moment for me. I never really imagined that I would win the same trophy as Jana.”

Krejcikova said she believed she had made her mentor proud with the determination she showed in a tense, high-quality final set. Asked if she ever found herself conversing with Novotna in her head as she eliminated opponent after opponent at Wimbledon, Krejcikova responded immediately.

“I often dream about her,” she said. “…We talk in our dreams.”

Novotna may also have been proud of the confidence Krejcikova showed to reach the final. She had won just three singles matches between her Australian Open quarter-final exit and the start of Wimbledon.

Neither Krejcikova, seeded No. 31, nor Paolini, seeded No. 7, were among the expected finalists at the start of the tournament, despite Paolini’s run to the French Open final last month. The Italian’s breakthrough at Roland Garros was so unexpected — and women’s tennis can always be so unpredictable at majors — that her Grand Slam success could have been erased in a flash. Paolini arrived in London without a tour-level grass-court victory before last week.

Her appearances at the All England Club have always seemed to start with a bit of bad luck. In the last two years, she has faced two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in the first round, and the losses she has suffered, even in three sets, have skewed her perception of her abilities on grass.

“I didn’t really believe it,” Paolini said earlier this week.

But her confidence grew round after round, and she beat several top-50 players on her way to the final: No. 37 Donna Vekic in the semifinals, No. 17 Emma Navarro in the quarterfinals and No. 13 Madison Keys, who retired with a leg injury late in a tight, three-set match in the fourth round.

Injuries and upsets were the main highlights of the tournament. By the second week, Paolini was one of three top-10 seeds left in the women’s draw. With the top three seeds eliminated, Krejcikova defeated No. 4 seed Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, in the semifinals to book her place in the final.

For Krejcikova, who has won 10 Grand Slam doubles titles in addition to her two singles trophies, the road to a championship match has been long. She played 13 Grand Slams between her victory over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova at Roland Garros in 2021 and Saturday’s final. Only three players have done at least that since the Open era began in 1968: Mary Pierce played 20 majors between finals, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario 19 and Svetlana Kuznetsova 18.

Krejcikova took the first set in 35 minutes, her doubles skills evident, she wielded her racket like a carving knife, injecting geometry into the match and moving Paolini expertly. The Italian had enchanted the crowd last week and had the upper hand again. But Paolini started tight, and Krejcikova’s highly professional attitude worked to her advantage early on – she served impeccably and was the aggressor throughout the first set.

“She takes really good angles,” Paolini said. “She’s a very complete player. She’s so good.”

Paolini left the court before the second set and returned with a more attacking mindset, pushing forward and putting pressure on Krejcikova to trip up her serve. The veteran Czech had committed 31 double faults before the final, more than any other player during the tournament, and that fragility showed when she was broken early and allowed Paolini to find her rhythm.

The third set was the closest until Krejcikova used two monstrous forehands to generate her first break points of the set and Paolini double-faulted to give her a 4-3 lead. Krejcikova held at zero to get back to within a game of the match and won on her third championship point with a big serve that Paolini sent flying.

“I have no words right now. It’s unbelievable what just happened. It’s definitely the best day of my tennis career, and also the best day of my life,” Krejcikova said.