Barbora Krejcikova reached her first Grand Slam singles semifinal since winning the Roland Garros in 2021, defeating former Paris champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-4, 7-6 (4).
A former world No. 2, the No. 31 seed maintained his amazing comeback to form after an injury-plagued season, rebounding from 4-1 down in the second set to defeat the on-fire No. 13 seed in an hour and 40 minutes on No. 1 Court.
She has been dealing with health concerns, either injuries or illness, since reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open earlier this year.
Krejcikova, on the other hand, has once again passed under the spotlight and made it deep into a Major. This is her 2nd Grand Slam semifinal appearance and her first since winning the French Open three years ago.
Let’s have a look 5 unknown facts about Barbora Krejcikova:
1. Barbora Krejcikova mentored by champion Novotna
For many years, the Czech Republic has been the dominant nation in women’s tennis. When Krejcikova initially started playing tennis at a young age, she drew the attention of Czech legend Jana Novotna, a former World No. 2 in singles who also won Wimbledon in 1998.
Novotna mentored Krejcikova from childhood and was her full-time coach and mentor in 2014. Unfortunately, the latter’s tragic death from cancer put an end to their partnership in 2017. The 28-year-old dedicated her French Open victory to her late coach.
2. Barbora Krejcikova was a star junior player
Barbora Krejcikova was rated as high as third in the junior rankings. She teamed up with Katerina Siniakova to win three of the four girls’ doubles titles in 2013, with only the Australian Open evading them.
Krejcikova additionally won the European Junior Championships for players younger than the age of 18, in both singles and doubles. She won five ITF tournaments as a junior and reached two more finals.
3. Barbora Krejcikova won titles in all tiers
Barbora Krejcikova has won titles across all tiers. She has won 11 Grand Slam titles, including one in singles, seven in doubles, and three in mixed doubles. She finished her “Career Grand Slam” in doubles by winning the 2022 US Open with Siniaková.
By winning this title, she not only collected all grand slams but also completed the “Career Golden Slam” as well as the “Career Super Slam” together. Along with Siniaková, they were the second women’s pair (and the third and fourth women overall, following Gigi Fernández and Pam Shriver) to accomplish this feat.
Krejcikova and her partner Siniakova won their first major title at the 2018 French Open and then went on to win Wimbledon. They won the French Open in 2021, then the gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics, and finally the WTA Finals later that year.
The partnership had a fantastic year in 2022, starting the season with a win at the Australian Open. They won their second Wimbledon title and grabbed the US Open trophy for the first time.
Their success in New York helped the pair complete a career Super Slam, which included winning all four Majors, an Olympic gold medal, and the WTA Final. They were the first couple to accomplish this milestone, as well as the third and fourth women to do it, following Gigi Fernandez and Pam Shriver.
4. Barbora Krejcikova is the only player who defeated Iga Swiatek multiple times
Swiatek’s recent supremacy recalls the peak years of Serena Williams, Steffi Graf, and other legends. She is even more difficult to beat in the final rounds of a competition, having won 22 titles from 26 finals.
Krejcikova is the only player who defeated Swiatek twice out of four championship rounds. She first defeated the Pole in the 2022 Ostrava Open final in three sets.
They met again a few months later in the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships, with the Czech winning in straight sets. Given Swiatek’s outstanding resume, defeating her twice in the finals is a significant accomplishment.
5. Barbora Krejcikova few wins away from repeating Novotna’s feat at Wimbledon
Barbora Krejcikova took a long time to break through in singles after excelling in doubles. She made her first Grand Slam semifinal during the 2021 French Open, facing Maria Sakkari for a position in the final.
The two threw everything at each other, and Sakkari got the first chance to win. In the third set, she had match point on Krejcikova’s serve at 5-4, but the latter repelled it for a hold of serve. The Czech finally won 7-5, 4-6, 9-7.
Krejcikova went on to upset Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, winning her maiden Grand Slam singles title. She’s just a few wins away from repeating Novotna’s feat at Wimbledon, and she could follow in her mentor’s footsteps.
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