Barbora Krejcikova already owns a career Grand Slam in women's doubles. Now the Czech is halfway to repeating the feat in singles after her winning her first Wimbledon crown on Saturday.
The 2021 Roland Garros singles champion beat Italy's Jasmine Paolini, 6-2, 2-6, 6-4, on Saturday in London to claim her second major singles trophy and her 12th major title across all disciplines. Krejcikova is a remarkable 12-1 in Slam finals: a perfect 2-0 in singles, 7-1 in doubles and 3-0 in mixed doubles, along with her women's doubles gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
But for all that success, nothing compares to her latest triumph at the All England Club.
"I don’t have any words,” she said. "It’s unbelievable what just happened. The best day of my tennis career, and the best day of my life.
"It’s super difficult to explain what I’m feeling right now."
Adding to the significance of Krejcikova's victory is the history of her late friend and coach Jana Novotna, who won the 1998 Wimbledon title.
"Jana was the one who told me I had the potential and I should definitely turn pro and try to make it. Before she passed away she told me to go and win a Slam," Krejcikova said of her fellow Czech, who passed away from ovarian cancer in 2017 at the age of 49.
"I achieved that in Paris in 2021 and it was an unbelievable moment for me, and I never really dreamed that I would win the same trophy as Jana did in 1998."
In a final between 28-year-olds born three weeks apart, Krejcikova dominated early by winning 10 of the match's first 11 points. She cruised through the opening set with 10 winners, including one on break point in her first return game. But it was Paolini's turn to cash in on a fast star in set two, as she raced through the frame after taking a 2-0 lead.
The final set was the tightest of the match, with Krejcikova securing the decisive break at 3-3 on a double fault. Soon after, she sealed victory with a big serve on her third match point.
Her seven wins in London match her her seven wins from the entire 2024 season prior to the grass-court major.
At world No. 32, Krejcikova is the second-lowest ranked player to win the Wimbledon crown since the WTA rankings were introduced in 1975. The only lower-ranked champion is Marketa Vondrousova, who won the 2023 title as world No. 42. Continuing the recent trend of surprise Wimbledon champions, Krejcikova's semifinal opponent, Elena Rybakina, won the 2022 Wimbledon title as world No. 23.
For Paolini, the defeat was her second final loss in as many majors. The late-blooming Italian fell to Iga Swiatek in the Roland Garros final before repeating her runner-up finish in London. The seventh seed, who had not reached a major final before this season, is the fourth woman since 2000 to reach both the London and Paris singles finals in the same season, joining Serena Williams (three times), Venus Williams (2002) and Justine Henin (2006).
Paolini will rise to a new career high of world No. 5 behind her run, while Krejcikova—a former world No. 2—will move up to No. 10.
