In the five months between the end of the Australian Open and the start of Wimbledon, Barbora Krejcikova won just two singles matches. She is trapped in a cruel cycle of illness, injury and pity, from which at times there seems to be no way out. She arrived at Wimbledon with low expectations and is still trying to find her footing.
But in tennis, things change so quickly. It only takes a few key wins to build enough confidence in a player’s game that their game suddenly flows as if nothing is wrong. Krejcikova has gone through the process thoroughly over the past two weeks, and when she reaches her first Wimbledon final, she’s ready.
Saturday’s final between two underdogs at Wimbledon looked like a one-sided rout at first, but turned into a tense and exciting showdown that ended with No. 31 seed Krejcikova holding on. himself, and held off a spirited comeback from seventh seed Jasmine Paolini to end the match.
Krejcikova has now won her second Grand Slam singles title three years after her shock win at the French Open in 2021. Krejcikova already has one of the greatest doubles resumes of her generation, and few active tennis players, male or female, can match her Grand Slam trophy cabinet: Krejcikova is now a 12-time Grand Slam winner Consistent champion and 3-time Wimbledon champion.
Krejcikova defeated three of the most destructive hitters in a row – Danielle Collins, Jelena Ostapenko and Elena Rybakina – to set up her path to the final. foundation. This time, as the taller, stronger player with a better serve and a harder hit, Krejcikova knew she had to dominate the match.
The only meeting between the two was in the first round of the 2018 Australian Open qualifying match, which Krejcikova easily won, but she also lost before entering the main draw. This Grand Slam qualifying match was repeated in a Grand Slam final for the first time and reflected the late blooming of their careers.
It may have been unnerving for her to face such a different playing style, but Krejcikova absolutely overwhelmed Paolini. She burst out of the block and was determined to strike first immediately, destroying the Italian’s serve in the first set and dominating with her forehand.
With the game already slipping away from her, Paolini looked for ways to halt Krejcikova’s momentum. She mixes low shots, sharp forehand angles, and works to take advantage early on at this point. Krejcikova showed off her excellent hand skills every time she faced pressure, resetting numerous exchanges with gliding defensive slices before returning to the top.
After a bathroom break between sets, Paolini began the second set determined to put the pressure on Krejcikova, with the Center Court crowd cheering her on throughout. She injected more speed into her two groundstrokes, she found greater depth and began to fully attack her forehand. The momentum immediately shifted and Paolini led 3-0, slamming a forehand and refusing to let up, and Krejcikova’s racquet started making nervous mistakes.
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Once the deciding set began, Paolini never gave up his momentum. She started the third set with a forehand that absolutely destroyed her opponent, then smoothly served for the first game and put pressure on her opponent by constantly targeting her shaky backhand. While Krejcikova was still tentative on her ground balls, she served well early on and built confidence by finishing her serve with ease.
With both players playing at a high level, Krejcikova regained enough confidence to lead 3-3 on Paolini’s fragile serve. She finally took the initiative back in the neutral-court match and once again dominated with a forehand to grab a break point. The exciting battle ended in an epic match, with Krejcikova battling her own nerves and Paolini fighting to the death. Nearly two hours later, Krejcikova ended the match with a spectacular victory.
Of course, it was a poignant and complete moment for Krejcikova. In 2014, she was hundreds of places away from competing at Wimbledon when she knocked on the door of 1998 Wimbledon singles champion Jana Novotna, seeking the local legend’s guidance. .
That meeting sparked a lifelong friendship, and Novotna soon decided to travel and work with her, mentoring her until shortly before her death in November 2017. After 26 years of tennis, Krejcikova became the latest Wimbledon champion.
