By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Saturday, July 13, 2024

 

Barbora Krejcikova beat Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 to capture her maiden Wimbledon championship and second career major title.

Photo credit: Rob Newell/CameraSport

Wimbledon—Grand Slam tennis is predicated on the power of human touch.

A courageous Barbora Krejcikova slashed one final serve to seal a wondrous Wimbledon win—and create championship connection with her tennis inspiration.

Krejcikova converted her third championship point defeating Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 to capture her maiden Wimbledon singles championship.



It’s the second Grand Slam singles championship in the last three years for the 2021 Roland Garros singles and doubles champion Krejcikova and it left her feeling "unbelievable."

“It’s just unreal what just happened, definitely the best day of my tennis career and the best day of my life,” said Krejcikova, the 51st different woman to win Wimbledon. “It’s super difficult to explain what I’m feeling right now. I would like to congratulate Jasmine and her team.

“She did a great two weeks. It was a great final. We were fighting for every single ball. In the end I was the lucky one. She played Roland Garros a couple of weeks ago it’s amazing what she’s been able to achieve in such a short time.”

World No. 32 Krejcikova is the eighth different woman to raise the Rosewater Dish in the last eight years—and the second straight Czech woman to win it following in the footsteps of unseeded friend Marketa Vondrousova last year.

Realizing her greatest dream with eyes wide open—and the spirit of her tennis mentor the late, great Jana Novotna burning brightly in her heart—Krejcikova thrust her arms high, soaked in the moment then blew a kiss toward the sky in honor of 1998 Wimbledon champion Novotna.

In a powerfully poignant moment, Krejcikova wept seeing her name unveiled on the famed Wimbledon Ladies’ Championship board right near Hall of Famer Novotna, who treated the young Krejcikova with kindness and support when she showed up at the champion's door during her junior days asking for guidance.

"The only thing that was going through my head was that I miss Jana a lot," Krejcikova said of her tears. "It was just very, very emotional. Very emotional moment to see me on a board right next to here.

"I think she would be proud. I think she would be really excited that I'm on a same board as she is because Wimbledon was super special for her."



Their relationship was crucial to developing Krejcikova's game and confidence. She wrote a letter to Novotna back in 2014 asking for her guidance then knocked on the Hall of Famer's door and delivered that letter.

“I think going to Jana and knocking on her door and giving her the letter everything that happened in that moment changed my life—definitely changed my tennis life,” Krejcikova told Annabel Croft in her on-court interview. “Jana was the one that told me that I had the potential and that I should definitely turn pro and try to make it.

“And before she passed away she told me to try to go win a Slam. I achieved that already in Paris in 2021. It was an unbelievable moment for me. I never really dreamed I would win the same trophy as Jana in 1998.”



This has been a remarkable run for both finalists.

The seventh-seeded Paolini made history as the first Italian woman in the Open era to reach the Wimbledon final—and the first Italian in the Open Era to reach two different Grand Slam finals.

The 5’4” Paolini is a charismatic competitor, whose feisty fighting spirit and infectious smile charmed Wimbledon and made her a fan favorite of Centre Court fans. Twice two points from defeat, against Madison Keys in the fourth round and again against Donna Vekic in a two hour, 51-minute semifinal thriller that was the longest Wimbledon women's semifinal in the Open Era, a persistent Paolini never gave in and never gave up.

Despite enduring her second straight major final loss, the perpetually-positive Paolini, who had never won a main-draw grass-court match in her career before 2024, but came within a few games of taking the title today.

“Hello everybody, thank you for coming, to see this stadium full it’s a dream come true,” Paolini said. “I would like to congrats Barbora, you played unbelievable. You play such beautiful tennis. Congrats to you and your team of course.

“The last two months have been crazy for me. I want to thank my team, my family, everybody who is there. Without them I wouldn’t be here, so thank you very much. The crowd has been amazing these two weeks. I received a lot of support just incredible to feel the love from them—I enjoyed it so much.”

True to form, Paolini smiled through the sadness, while her proud mom, Jacqueline Paolini, smiled right back cheering her daughter right through the end.

“Today I’m a little bit sad. I tried to keep smiling because I have to remember today is still a good day,” Paolini said. “I still did finals at Wimbledon. When I was a kid, growing looking at Wimbledon cheering for Federer. I think I enjoyed every moment here.”



Sidelined by back injury and illness after Abu Dhabi—that adversity caused her to miss four consecutive WTA 1000 tournaments in Doha, Dubai, Indian Wells and Miami—Krejcikova came back during clay season only to stagger through an 0-4 through European clay swing.

Pushed three sets in a three hour, 14 minute win over Veronika Kudermetova in her Wimbledon opener, Krejcikova grew stronger as this tournament progress. She knocked off two Grand Slam champions—2017 French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko in the quarterfinals and 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the semifinals—played a phenomenal first set today, withstood a Paolini second-set charge and a loud pro-Paolini crowd and closed a one hour, 56-minute victory with vigor.

A former world No. 1 in doubles, Krejickova knows all about managing big-match pressure.

Showing no trace of nerves at the start, Krejcikova wished Paolini “good match” before the Italian serve to start.

In an ideal opening, Krejcikova tore through 10 of the first 11 points for a 2-0 lead.

A jittery Paolini was trying to squeeze drives down the line beyond the lanky Czech’s reach, but she found little joy. The No. 31 seed broke again extending to 41 after just 24 minutes.

The seventh seed was playing down the middle in an effort to deny the Czech angles, but Krejcikova created court openings with her backhand then sometimes finished with flat forehands.

Krejcikova confidently served out the 33-minute opening set at love.

In a near-flawless first-set serving performance, Krejcikova connected on 19 of 21 first serves (90 percent) and spread the serve box beautifully for her first strike.

The 2021 Roland Garros singles and doubles champion won 17 of 21 points played on her serve and doubled Paolini’s winner total—10 to 5—in a strong first set she played primarily off the front foot.

A gritty Paolini is the first woman ranked outside the Top 5 to reach the final at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year since the advent of the WTA rankings in 1975. If you’ve seen her play during the last two Slams, you know fiery fortitude is a Paolini asset.

Relying on the experience of back-to-back major final, fitness and her love of a good fight helped Paolini work her way back into the match.

Playing her inside-out topspin forehand to the Krejcikova slice backhand, Paolini rattled out a couple of errors earning her first break for a 2-0 second-set lead.

That slice backhand that worked so well in the first set wasn’t getting proper net clearance in the second. Krejcikova netted the backhand slice on break point in the third game. Paolini made her pay pumping a diagonal forehand winner to consolidate for 3-0.

Commanding points with precise first-serve placements in the first set, Krejcikova coughed up a pair of double faults to start the fourth game, but recovered erasing a couple of break points in holding for 1-3.

Today’s final marked the second time in Open Era history two women aged 28 or older face off in a maiden Wimbledon ladies singles final. The last time it happened, Briton Virginia Wade beat Betty Stove in the 1977 final urged on by home fans.

It was certainly a pro-Paolini Centre Court crowd today. Paolini plugged into the positive support as the match progressed.

The French Open finalist reeled off eight of the next 10 points on serve stretching the lead to 5-2.

Dancing around her backhand, Paolini slammed a diagonal forehand that helped her seal the second set with her second break.

"I started bad. But, yeah, I said, Okay, take some time and try to relax and to come back in the second set stronger to try to push the ball more because I was a little bit controlling too much, and I missed a lot of shots," Paolini said. "She was playing, honestly, very good the first set. She was serving really, really good. High percentage of first serves.

"Was tough. But, yeah, I think I did better than the last final, but still not enough."

Seventy-nine minutes into the match, Paolini stamped a love hold to start the decider erupting with a celebratory scream with her first lead of this final.

A calm Krejcikova answered with a love hold of her own.

Deadlocked at 3-all, 30-all, Krejcikova snapped off a return down the line than curled a crosscourt forehand winner of the first break point of the final set.

An energized Paolini rose up and saved it, bellowing “Come on!”, only to miss a forehand long to confront a second break point.

Betraying her cause, Paolini floated her first double fault of the day long ceding the crucial break and a 4-3 lead to Krejcikova.

The two-time Wimbledon doubles champion cracked an ace out wide then slashed another ace down the middle—her fifth ace of the final—for a 5-3 lead after one hour, 43 minutes.

Stepping up to serve for the championship, Krejcikova swiped the sweat off her right hand against her white skirt then flashed a forehand winner down the line to start the game with a bang. Paolini coaxed a backhand error for 30-all then went toe-to-toe in a crosscourt backhand exchange that ended with a Krejcikova error for break point.

Credit Krejcikova for facing stress with a forward run as she blocked a backhand volley erasing break point.

Kicking in a serve down the middle, Krejcikova drew a running forehand wide for championship point after two hours. Lining up her backhand, Krejcikova missed the mark down the line by several feet.

Embed from Getty Images

Still, Paolini, who was two points from defeat vs. both Madison Keys in the fourth round and Donna Vekic in the semifinals, was not done. Paolini pumped a forehand pass for a second break point. Krejcikova caught the sideline to save it and followed with an ace for a second championship point only to miss a backhand into net.

“I was just telling myself to be brave and if the game doesn’t go it would be 5-all,” Krejcikova said. “It was such a difficult match, such a great final and I enjoyed it so much. I’m super happy standing here that I can enjoy this moment.

“I think nobody really believes it that I got to the final and I think no one will believe that I won Wimbledon. I still cannot believe it. It’s unbelievable… It’s unbelievable now I’m standing here and I’m a Wimbledon winner.”

On her third championship point, Krejcikova reached up and clubbed one final serve winner out wide wrapping a fairy-tale run to her first Wimbledon crown with a huge for Paolini, a wave to the crowd and blown kiss toward the sky in tribute to her departed mentor Novotna.



It’s funny—and sometimes profound—how transformative tennis can be for devotees.

Though this inspired run defied Krejcikova's dreams, it has also confirmed the deep belief her mentor, former coach and tennis hero Novotna had in her. Krejcikova still carries Novotna's faith—and words of wisdom—with her every time she steps on court.

"Like every time before the match or after the match I just feel like she's there, she's looking after me," said Krejcikova, who shed tears recalling Novotna’s influence on her life and career following her semifinal victory over Elena Rybakina.

As the sun came out at Wimbledon today, Krejcikova wept again today seeing her name right next to Novotna’s, the champion who believed in her more than she believed in herself now connected forever.

Winning two Grand Slam singles titles on two different surfaces to go along with seven major doubles titles, we can likely look forward to Krejcikova someday joining Novotna in the International Tennis Hall of Fame.