AS A 12-YEAR-OLD, Krejcikova wrote down her ultimate goal: to win the French Open. Hoisting the trophy on the red clay at Roland Garros was what motivated her during her early days and what she pictured when she closed her eyes at the end of the day.

But meeting Novotna changed things, and she started to think about what it would be like to win Wimbledon. They had started working together when Krejcikova was 18 and had just finished her junior career. Krejcikova was unsure if she should turn professional, and her parents encouraged her to write a letter to Novotna, a former world No. 2 and fellow Czech, asking for advice. Novotna responded a week later and the two began working together soon after. Novotna told Krejcikova she had potential and encouraged her to turn pro.

They quickly grew close and Krejcikova valued her guidance and friendship. Novotna told her stories about Wimbledon. What the grass was like. How hard it was to become the champion.

“I think since then I started to see Wimbledon [as] the biggest tournament in the world,” Krejcikova said on Saturday.

But it was at the French Open in 2021 where she would win that first major title she had dreamed about.

Playing in just the fifth major main draw of her career, and as an unseeded player, Krejcikova formally introduced herself to the tennis world with a dynamic run to the title, defeating Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova  6-1, 2-6, 6-4, in the final. She had already won the doubles titles at the French Open and Wimbledon (both with fellow countrywoman Katerina siniakova and three mixed doubles titles at the Australian Open, but had largely been a nonfactor in singles play.

Since her breakthrough in Paris, she has continued to play doubles and find success. She and Siniakova won the French Open doubles title the day after she earned the singles trophy, and together went on to claim four more Grand Slam doubles titles and Olympic gold in Tokyo before splitting as a team at the end of the 2023 season.

But consistent results in singles have proven tougher. Krejcikova made her debut in the main draw at both Wimbledon and the US Open after her triumph in Paris in 2021. By the end of the summer, after reaching the fourth round and the quarterfinals respectively, Krejcikova had cracked the top five.

She opened the 2022 season with a quarterfinal appearance at the Australian Open and reached the world No. 2 ranking by February. But then things took a turn. An arm injury kept her sidelined for months and she returned just in time for the French Open. She lost in the first round. She then had to withdraw from doubles the following day after testing positive for COVID.

There was a turnaround at the start of 2023. Krejcikova reached the fourth round at the Australian Open and then won the 1000-level title at Dubai after defeating four top-10 players, including No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the final. She hoped it would finally put her in the conversation among the top players in the game.

“When I read something on social media, it’s about Iga, Aryna [Sabalenka], and Elena [Rybakina] — I’m not really there,” Krejcikova told WTA Insider  a few weeks later. “What else should I do? How should I prove it again? … I want to be mentioned as well. I want to be recognized as well because I think I deserve it. I’ve had a lot of success on the tour and I just don’t get the credit.”

But she couldn’t back up her words with her play. She lost in the first round of the 2023 French Open and had to retire from her second-round match at Wimbledon with an ankle injury. She went 0-2 in the hard-court tournaments ahead of the US Open and then lost her opener in New York. She salvaged her season by winning in singles and doubles at San Diego soon after, but by the end of the season she had split with her longtime coach and with Siniakova in doubles — and went back to the drawing board in the brief offseason.

Krejcikova opened 2024 with a quarterfinal appearance at the Australian Open, but a back injury kept her out for much of the hard-court season. She returned in time for the clay portion of the schedule but she went 0-4, including at the French Open. Grass wasn’t looking like it would be much better. She won two matches in Birmingham but then lost in the first round in Eastbourne. Her ranking dropped to No. 32.

She was optimistic — but even she wasn’t expecting to do this well at Wimbledon.

Match by match she raised her level and found ways to dispatch higher-cranked opponents, including No. 11 seed Danielle Collins  in the fourth round and No. 13 seed Jelena Ostapenko  in the quarterfinals. But it was her 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 comeback victory in the semifinals over Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion and remaining favorite, that truly showed everyone just how good she could be when at her best.

“During the season it was very difficult. I have had many difficult periods,” Krejcikova said after her semifinal victory. “I never really imagined that in four weeks I could reach a Wimbledon final, that I can be a different player. But I’m super happy that I am [and] that I was able to fight through everything.”

She has been more relaxed this tournament as well, especially when compared to her run at the French Open three years ago. On the court, she’s visibly more composed and celebratory And off the court, it’s clear she’s enjoying herself. Starting during a rain delay ahead of a doubles match (she reached the quarterfinals with Laura Siegemund),  Krejcikova began doing a Twitter Q&A with fans. It’s something she has continued, including during her off day on Friday. She has touched on everything from baking to music to Legos.

“Before the tournament, I had a tough period,” Krejcikova said on Thursday. “I just told myself that I will try to enjoy everything more. … In the end so far I think I [am] very, very successful in doing that. I’m definitely enjoying this moment much more than I did in Paris, which was more stressful for me.”

Krejcikova leaves Wimbledon now ranked No. 10 in the world, but perhaps most importantly, she seems content with her play and how she’s perceived by others.

While she may or may not be considered at the same level as Swiatek and the rest of the top-ranked players, she is in the same category as Novotna: Wimbledon champions. She stopped to look at her newly engraved name on the list of winners shortly after her victory on Saturday.

“[It was a] very emotional moment to see me on a board right next to [Novotna],” she said. “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.”

(ESPN)