By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Sunday March 26, 2023
In recent weeks there has been a lot of talk about the fact that three players – Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina – are emerging as the three pillars of domination on the WTA Tour.
This week in Miami Barbora Krejcikova, who will face Sabalenka in a marquee round of 16 match on Monday evening in Miami, says don’t forget about me!
"It's a big motivation," Krejcikova told reporters, according to WTA Insider Courtney Nguyen. "I don't want to be forgotten somewhere in the shade of these three big players. They are playing well and are playing great, but I feel I'm playing well as well.
"I feel like I deserve the recognition from the media and I'm not getting it. I guess I just have to win more matches and prove to everybody that I'm there as well."
Krejcikova has certainly warranted attention in 2023. She became the fifth player in WTA history to defeat the reigning Top 3 in a single tournament, which included her second consecutive win over Iga Swiatek in the final. The 27-year-old Czech also handed Sabalenka her first loss of the year in that same event.
Krejcikova would like some more positive vibes from the media, but knows the only way to ensure that is to keep winning big matches - and big titles.
Krejcikova - I'm Not a Robot
Two weeks ago at Indian Wells, Krejcikova talked about the difficulties she faced in 2022, when she battled an elbow injury and had several difficult months on tour after her return.
She said there were times when the media got inside her head.
“I always felt like I had the level but actually there were a lot of doubts from the media side, also back home, but also internationally I think. I think at the end of the year and the beginning of this year I proved that I belong there,” she said.
She said that negative talk tended to motivate her.
“It depends on how you approach it. There is always going to be something negative about you. It’s only a matter of how you approach it, and to me, ometimes it’s difficult. I’m not positive all the time, I’m not a robot. I always try to look at it as like a motivator. ‘Okay you think that I cannot do this but I’m going to show you that I can’ but it takes a lot of mental strength, definitely.”
Iga's an Inspiration
Though she wants to be in the conversation with Swiatek and other top players, it hasn’t stopped Krejcikova from seeing the top-ranked Pole as a leader and an inspiration.
A conscientous student of the game, Krejcikova is often seen courtside during big WTA matches. A true tennis geek, she'd rather pass on shopping sprees or Netflix binges and instead pay heed to the patterns of play utilised by the tour's elite.
Krejcikova has paid extra close attention to Swiatek, and sees the 21-year-old juggernaut as a constant source of inspiration.
“She motivates me a lot and every time I have an opportunity to practice with her or to watch her practice or watch her matches or to see what she’s doing – she’s just amazing, what she was able to do last year and still she has a huge level and she is ahead of all of us,” she said. “So for me she is a big inspiration, especially she is so young.
"When I was this young I had no idea what I was doing. I feel like she knows and she goes for it, and she is very dedicated. She is really hard on herself and she really wants to be the best one.”
Photo credit: Matthew Calvis