Barbora Krejcikova clinched her second Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon on Saturday and paid an emotional tribute to her childhood mentor, former champion and late coach Jana Novotna for the advice that “changed my life. Czech 31st seed Krejcikova battled past seventh-ranked Jasmine Paolini of Italy 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 to add the 2024 All England Club crown to her 2021 French Open victory.
Her win comes 26 years after Novotna, who died of cancer in 2017 at the age of 49, claimed the Wimbledon title after two runners-up finishes. Speaking on Centre Court immediately after her win, Krejcikova recalled how she once dropped a letter off at Novotna’s house seeking direction on her tennis career from her fellow Czech.
“Well I think that day, knocking on her door, it changed my life,” Krejcikova said. Because in that period when I finished the juniors, I didn’t know what to do – should I continue playing pro or go into education?
“She was the one who told me I had the potential and I should definitely turn pro. Before she passed away she told me I can win a Slam. I achieved that in Paris in 2021 -– it was an unbelievable moment for me and I never really dreamed I would win the same trophy as Jana did in 1998.
Source: BBC
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