By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday May 20, 2022
Barbora Krejcikova, after missing four months with an elbow injury, is back just in the nick of time to defend her Roland-Garros title – in both singles and doubles.
But the 2021 champion, who will face Diane Parry of France in first-round action, is not harbouring any unrealistic expectations.
“I don't think expecting is something good for me,” Krejcikova said on Friday in Paris. “I don't think that, you know, expecting myself to do well after being injured for a long time. But I think that I can be a good opponent. I think I can play well. And even after being injured I think I had some time to recover and to practice, so I have been preparing for this. “So I believe when I start playing matches, I can be really dangerous again and I can do well here as well.”
Speaking of expectations, Krejcikova didn’t feel that she’d have to stay off the tour so long with her injury, but it just didn’t behave. But Krejcikova believes that in some way the injury has been a blessing in disguise.
“I had a problem with my elbow, which I didn't expect is going to take me away for this long,” she said. “But I think it was good. I think it was worth it to have a break after such a tough last season. Right now I feel healthy, I have to knock on wood that I feel good. Also I think mentally I'm really recharged.”
Krejcikova, who has not played since Doha, owns a 9-4 record on the season with a final at Sydney and a quarterfinal at the Australian Open.
Another way that Krejcikova has benefitted is that she has been given time to consider her scheduling. She says she has been having discussions with her team about playing too much doubles, which helped lead to her injury issues in the first place. She indicated that she plans to change her approach to playing doubles, but didn’t say exactly how.
“We have been thinking about it with my coach a lot during the time when I was out,” she said. “I mean, I think right now I'm recharged. I think I feel well right now, so I plan to play. But, yes, we have to adjust. We have to do a different schedule. So we are gonna plan according to that.”