The 5 longest gaps between 1st and 2nd Grand Slam women’s singles titles – ft. Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova
Barbora Krejcikova’s Wimbledon win has sealed her place as one of the best singles players of her generation.
Victory at the All England Club on Saturday saw her claim her second Grand Slam singles title, moving level with famed players such as Victoria Azarenka, Li Na, and Garbine Muguruza.
However, few have had to wait as long as the Czech in between her first and second wins, with only three women in the Open Era holding a longer gap.
1) Mary Pierce – 20 appearances
One of the most talented players of her generation, Hall of Famer and former world No 3 Pierce reached six Grand Slam singles finals, winning two of them.
Her first major singles title came at the 1995 Australian Open, where she beat Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in straight sets.
Twenty Grand Slam main draw appearances later, she captured the second of her majors on home turf at Roland Garros, downing Conchita Martinez – and remaining the last Frenchwoman to lift her home Slam.
2) Arantxa Sanchez Vicario – 19 appearances
A four-time major champion, ‘Barcelona bumblebee’ Sanchez Vicario was among the leading players of the late 1980s and 1990s.
The Spaniard became one of the youngest Grand Slam champions in history with her maiden Slam triumph at the 1989 French Open, the 17-year-old battling past Steffi Graf in an all-time great final.
She struggled to add to her collection across the next five years of Graf and Monica Seles dominance, but regained her Roland Garros crown in 1994 by defeating Pierce – 19 main draw Slams after her first win.
That year, Sanchez Vicario would also win the US Open – and won a third French Open in 1998.
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3) Svetlana Kuznetsova – 18 appearances
A true entertainer on the court, former world No 2 Kuznetsova reached four Grand Slam singles finals across her career, winning two major titles.
She was only 19 when she captured her first Slam at Flushing Meadows, defeating Elena Dementieva in an all-Russian final to become the first woman from the nation to win the US Open.
Four and a half years – and 18 major appearances later – she captured her second major at Roland Garros, beating Dinara Safina in another all-Russian final.
4) Barbora Krejcikova – 13 appearances
Having already sealed her spot as an all-time doubles great, Krejcikova now has a singles career to envy after claiming the Wimbledon title on Saturday.
Three years ago, the unseeded Czech shocked the tennis world by winning Roland Garros, saving a match point in the semi-final before beating Anastasia Pavyluchenkova in the final.
Thirteen major appearances later, she again defied her ranking to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish, the 31st seed battling past world No 7 Jasmine Paolini.
5) Petra Kvitova – 12 appearances
Krejcikova has eclipsed fellow Czech Kvitova in the list, with the two-time Wimbledon champion playing one less major between her first and second victories.
The former world No 2 claimed the first of her SW19 titles in 2011, seeing off former champion Maria Sharapova in the final.
Three years later she would regain her title, downing Eugenie Bouchard in a dominant display to become a two-time winner of the tournament.
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