Every word from Barbora Krejcikova’s press conference after her Wimbledon win
Barbora Krejcikova could barely believe what she was hearing as she was introduced as the new Wimbledon champion after her thrilling 6-2 2-6 6-4 victory over Italy’s Jasmine Paolini.
Krejcikova sobbed when she was shown her name on the honours board along with her mentor and former Wimbledon queen Jana Novotna.
It was no surprise when Novota’s name was mentioned in her post-match press conference, staged in the impressive media theatre at the All England Club and here are the best bits of what she had to say.
Q: How does it feel to be Wimbledon champion?
BK: It sounds crazy, but yeah, I’m super happy. I’m super happy that I won today, yeah, that I was able to lift
up the trophy. Yeah, it’s a great feeling.
Q: This is your second Grand Slam, but can you believe you have achieved this?
BK: I have no idea why (it happened) this tournament. I mean, I had really tough draw from the very first match. I was just going match by match. I was just feeling better and getting better. Yeah, I mean, here I am. I don’t know how that happen. But, yes, I’m a winner.
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Q: Did you experience winning Grand Slam doubles finals help in this match?
BK: Well, I think it definitely helped me. It’s an advantage that I was able to play a lot of finals in doubles and in mixed doubles. I was there with my partner to share all the emotions that are going through for you during the match. It definitely, definitely helped me in my singles matches.
Q: How does it feel to be on the Wimbledon singles winners list alongside Jana Novotna?
BK: The only thing that was going through my head was that I miss Jana a lot. It was just very, very emotional. Very emotional moment to see me on a board right next to her. I think she would be proud. I think she would be really excited that I’m on the same board as she is because Wimbledon was super special for her.
Q: You wrote her a letter asking for help. Can you say what was in it?
BK: Well, I’m not exactly sure what I wrote in the letter right now, but I wrote something that I’m playing tennis, that I’m 18, I just finished juniors, and that I don’t know what to do right now. So if she could, like, look at me and maybe help me, guide me, tell me which direction should I go. I’m dreaming about her a lot. Yes, I’m dreaming about her, and we talking in the dreams.
Q: When did you start dreaming about winning Wimbledon?
BK: It’s tough to say. I mean, winning any slam is great. Winning here at the Wimbledon is huge for me. But I wouldn’t really say it was kind of like my dreams when I was very little. I have like a little notebook that I wrote when I was, like, 12. I don’t know, maybe like three, four months ago I was listing through that notebook. I had there that in the future, like back then when I was 12, I wrote that in the future I would like to win the French Open. So it was quite a big dream for me to win the French Open. To be honest, maybe things shifted a little bit when I actually met Jana 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 as the biggest tournament in the world.
Q: Was this the best day of your life?
BK: I think I do, yes. I think I did because today was very difficult, and I really had to dig deep in every aspect. Also in tennis, but also mentally. I’m extremely proud that I was able to do that, to hold everything together, and to just win the finals.
