Wimbledon star Barbora Krejcikova broke down in tears during her on-court interview with Annabel Croft on Thursday following a question about tennis icon Jana Novotna. The Czech star booked her place in the Wimbledon final after coming from a set down to dispatch 2022 champion Elena Rybakina.
Novotna, who was also Czech, won the 1998 Wimbledon ladies’ singles title following victory over Nathalie Tauziat in the final after previously losing two showpiece matches at the All England Club. She also clinched four Wimbledon doubles titles throughout her illustrious career.
But Novotna passed away in 2017 at the age of 49 following a battle with cancer.
As she spoke about her victory over Rybakina, Krejcikova told Croft: “A couple of years ago I was working with Jana Novota, the 1998 Wimbledon winner.
“She was telling me a lot of stories about her journey here and how she was trying to win Wimbledon. I was so far away when we had this talk. Now I am here and I am in a final.”
Krejcikova was then asked if Novotna was her inspiration and replied: “Definitely. I remember thinking about Jana a lot. I have so many beautiful memories and when I step on the court here I’m just fighting for every single ball as that is what she would want me to do.”
When Croft told Krejcikova that Novotna would be “looking down on her”, the 28-year-old turned away from the interviewer and burst into tears as she took a moment to compose herself.
The crowd then offered their support as they cheered and applauded the Wimbledon finalist, with Croft asking her if she was okay.
And Krejcikova continued: “I just miss her very much. I miss her so much.”
Croft soon moved the conversation on to Saturday’s final, with Krejcikova set to take on Jasmine Paolini after the Italian got the better of Donna Vekic earlier on Thursday.
And Krejcikova went on to explain: “[It will be] a big fight. I know that she is a huge fighter and she showed [that] today, but it will be the same from me. We are playing great tennis and it will be a great match on Saturday.”
Krejcikova had never progressed beyond the fourth round of Wimbledon before this year’s tournament but has huge pedigree, having won the French Open in 2021. And she will be looking to get her hands on a second Grand Slam title when she goes head-to-head with her Italian opponent at the weekend.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk