Two hours after July 13 2024 became what Barbora Krejcikova called “the greatest day of my life”, the new Wimbledon champion revealed something she had previously kept private… That in the weeks leading up to The Championships, Jana Novotna has come to her in her dreams.
Over the past few days, Krejcikova has reflected many times on the day 10 years ago when she summoned the courage to knock on her heroine’s door in Brno, home town to both Czechs, to ask the 1998 champion to mentor her. The powerful coaching bond they formed was broken only by Novotna’s death from ovarian cancer, at the age of 49, in 2017.
Now that she has replicated Novotna’s achievement in hoisting the Venus Rosewater Dish, Krejcikova was asked if she ever has conversations with her mentor in her head.
“I am dreaming about her a lot,” she replied. “In the dreams we are talking. It’s very personal.” The 28-year-old would not disclose further detail, but her expression was peaceful. What would she say to Jana now, if she could, after this victory?
“I think I would turn it around,” said Krejcikova. “I would like to hear what she would tell me. I think she would tell me that she is very proud of me and that she’s super happy.
“When I was shown my name on the Wimbledon honours board right next to her, it was a very very emotional moment. The only thing that was going through my head was that I miss her a lot.
"I think she would be really excited that I’m on the same board as her because Wimbledon was super special to her.
“Here I think I have played the best tennis of my career. Today was very difficult, and I really had to dig deep, also mentally. I'm extremely proud that I was able to do that, to hold everything together, and to win.
It’s unbelievable I’m a two-time major champion. On the other hand, I’m still the same person. I still love tennis very much. I still want to continue playing well and fighting for other tournaments.”
With the 2021 Roland-Garros crown already under her belt, Krejcikova is two-for-two in Grand Slam singles finals. She is also the first Czech woman ever to capture singles crowns at two different Slams.
It’s important to include that ‘singles’ proviso when referencing 10-time Grand Slam doubles winner Krejcikova as two of those doubles triumphs came at Wimbledon, in 2018 and 2022.
She knew her way around the Centre Court on the big days before this Ladies' final – a useful reference point when ironing out every possible variable can prove crucial on the path to victory.
“Winning a Slam in any category is an extremely great achievement,” she mused. “Winning this Wimbledon is huge for me. When I was 12, I had a little notebook. Three or four months ago, I looked through it.
“I wrote that in the future I would like to win the French Open. Things shifted a little bit when I met Jana (at age 18) and when 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 actually made it
"I think since then I started to see Wimbledon like the biggest tournament in the world.”
And after all that, how does the reality measure up to what Jana described to her all those years ago? Krejcikova laughed in the kind of delight that only a Wimbledon winner knows.
“It feels so good,” she smiled, stretching her arms above her head in triumph. “It’s great.”
