Barbora Krejcikova takes home Wimbledon in outshining Jasmine Paolini for her second Grand Slam trophy

Barbora Krejcikova is the winner of Wimbledon for the second time in her Grand Slam title with a 6-1 2-6, 6-4 win against Jasmine Paolini in the final.

LONDON (AP) (AP)at the age of 18, more than a decade before Barbora Krejcikova was crowned champion of Wimbledon this past Saturday, the Russian had finished playing junior tennis. She couldn’t decide if she wanted she should pursue a pro career or attend school and pursue an alternative direction.

So Krejcikova wrote an email to her idol the 1998 Wimbledon winner Jana Novotna, and dropped the letter off at her home in the Czech Republic. The letter was not only a way for Novotna inform Krejcikova she was gifted and that she should continue to play the sport and she was a mentor until her death of cancer in the year 2017.

“Before she passed away,” Krejcikova told me, “she told me to go and win a Slam.”

Do you want to play two? Krejcikova has been an unexpected, unseeded winner of the French Open three years ago, and she added to her trophy collection by winning 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 win over Jasmine Paolini in the final at the All England Club. Just after the conclusion of Saturday’s match, Krejcikova went and looked at her newly-printed name in the roster of Wimbledon champions displayed in the Centre Court hallway — and noticed that Novotna was there also.

“The only thing that was going through my head,” Krejcikova stated in that moment, “was that I miss Jana quite a bit. It was very, extremely emotional. … I’m sure she’d be very proud.”

After securing a the victory at the third set points, Krejcikova insists that none (not her family, not her acquaintances, not even her family, and not even her self-proclaimed supporters would be able to think she accomplished anything. It’s not that unlikely to be so, considering the fact that she was suffering from an injury to her back and illness during the season, and her record for 2024 was only 7 when she stepped onto the grass-court championship.

Krejcikova had the honor of being 31st seeded of 32 ladies in the All England Club. After that, she was a three-setter in the first round of the tournament last week which added to the doubts.

However, at the time the tournament was over at the top of the list was seventh-seeded Paolini, who was telling Krejcikova: “You play such beautiful tennis.”

Krejcikova is the 8th woman to exit Wimbledon as champions in the last eight editions of the tournament. The champion of last year comes also from in the Czech Republic: unseeded Marketa Vondrousova who was eliminated during the opening round of Wimbledon last week.

Paolini who finished second to Iga Swiatek in the French Open last month was the first woman after Serena Williams in 2016 to make it to the finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year -and the first after Venus Williams in 2002 to lose both.

“If I keep this level,” said Paolini who is 28 years old and hails native of Italy, “I think I can have the chance to do great things.”

The game was as close and back-and-forth as you can get.

In a fitting way, the final game required 14 points to decide and Krejcikova having to fight off breaks in both sets. The Russian eventually scored the third point of match after Paolini failed to hit the backhand.

“I was just telling myself to be brave,” said Krejcikova who has seven Grand Slam titles in women’s doubles which includes two titles at Wimbledon and three in mixed doubles.

She did a great job starting out, taking 10 of the first 11 points, and five of the first six games. The crowd, probably expecting an even more competitive game took a loud stance for Paolini, shouting “Forza!” (“Let’s go !”), like she usually does)”Forza! “Calma!” (“Be calm !”).

“She was taking the ball earlier,” Paolini told me, “and she was moving me.”

In the beginning Paolini appeared as if she was suffering from the tiredness from the most long ladies’ semifinal match in Wimbledon history with her two-hour 51-minute win in the final against Donna Vekic on Thursday.

After a visit into the locker rooms prior beginning the next set, Paolini took over in directing the more lengthy baseline exchanges and Krejcikova’s errors grew.

From 3-3 in the final set, Paolini stumbled in the final set, double-faulting only for the one moment in the entire afternoon that he was broken. Krejcikova kept her cool for 5-3 before playing for the title, regardless of how hard it got in the final set.

At the time of the trophy presentation like she did following her singles victory at Paris at the end of 2021 Krejcikova discussed the impact of her Novotna tennis — and on her life generally.

At Krejcikova’s news conference stated that Novotna often shows up when she dreams. They’ll talk to each other, she explained.

A reporter questioned Krejcikova what she would wish to tell Novotna since both of them are Wimbledon champions.

“Well, I think I would turn it around,” Krejcikova stated in a smile. “I would like to hear what she would tell me.”

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