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Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova back on top after a roller-coaster three years

Published

2 years ago

2024/07/14

Priyan

Barbora Krejcikova's two major titles could each be categorized as a surprise victory. (ESPN)

Even Barbora Krejcikova didn’t think she would win the singles title at Wimbeldon.

Her late mentor, Jana Novotna, had won in 1998 and, before Novotna died of cancer in 2017, she had told Krejcikova to win a Grand Slam. When Krejcikova did just that at the French Open four years later, she was sure it was because Novotna was looking out for her from above.

But Krejcikova still didn’t think she would repeat the feat at the All England Club. That was just too much of a miracle. “I never dreamed that I would win the same trophy as Jana did in 1998,” she said Saturday.

And with the season she was having, few believed she had a chance this year. She’d had a back injury, an illness that sidelined her, a winless season on clay and a plummeting ranking.

But at Wimbledon, the 28-year-old Krejcikova’s self-belief grew with every match she played. And on Saturday, she exceeded her wildest dreams and won the Wimbledon title with a 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 victory over No. 7 seed Jasmine Paolini in the final. But while she called it “the best day” of her career and life on the court, Krejcikova didn’t seem to be thinking about any larger implications.

“I still feel the same,” Krejcikova said. “It’s great that I’m a two-time major champion. It’s something unbelievable. I mean, on the other hand, I’m still the same person. I still love tennis very much. I still want to continue playing tennis well and fight for other tournaments.

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)

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SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa arrested by CIABOC

Published

7 hours ago

2026/09/4

Priyan

(File pic)

Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Member of Parliament Namal Rajapaksa has been arrested by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC).

Namal Rajapaksa had been summoned by CIABOC to provide a statement in connection with investigations into the controversial Airbus deal. He was subsequently arrested by CIABOC after recording his statement for over 5 hours.

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Mandhana’s record ton powers India into semi-finals

Published

13 hours ago

2026/09/4

Priyan

Smriti Mandhana celebrates her second T20I century [Cricinfo]

Smriti Mandhana filled her batting coffers with her second T20I century, along the way surpassing Mithali Raj for the record for most runs in women’s internationals, to help India secure a second straight win on Thursday night in Dubai.

Hong Kong’s nerves showed on the field when they fell flat at the first sign of attack from India’s batters, and their timid approach in the chase further exposed the gulf in quality and experience. In the end, they lost by 137 runs – 13 more than what Mandhana managed on her own.

A second straight loss meant Hong Kong will only have some pride to play for, as a berth in the next round is now out of the equation.

India’s cautious start

At the end of five overs, India were 38 without loss – not concerning, but not dominating enough either. They took a while to suss up the lack of pace from the bowlers. Mandhana hogged much of the strike; Shafali Verma faced just six balls in the first five overs. Hong Kong couldn’t have been happier at having kept a lid on the scoring.

Shafali steps up

After a tight first over that went for just seven, offspinner Maria Lamplough was clobbered by Shafali for two fours and two sixes in a 22-run over that helped India take off.

Lamplough struggled for consistency and kept looping the ball up, with Shafali needing no second invitation. The first of the two sixes was a shovel over deep midwicket; the next even better – lofted inside-out over deep extra cover.

Shafali’s brief surge ended on 28 in the eighth over, when Marina took an excellent catch running in and diving full stretch from long-on off Ruchita Venkatesh’s bowling. By then, the openers had put on 74.

Mandhana prances towards record century

As new No. 3 Pratika Rawal took a while to gauge the pace of the surface, Mandhana reached her half-century – her 36th in T20Is – off 40 deliveries with a flat six over deep square. Mandhana’s default setting for much of this period was moving over to the off-side to set herself up for several variations of the slog in the arc between wide long-on and deep square.

Her next fifty came off just 18 deliveries. The century could’ve been nipped in the bud had she been taken at deep square leg in the 16th over off Siu Wai, but she accelerated even more soon after bringing up her century that helped her climb atop the list for most international hundreds in women’s cricket.

In the 18th over, she clobbered Venkatesh for three consecutive sixes, and in the same over also went past Mithali’s record for most international runs. This helped India finish strongly, the second half of their innings brought them 107 despite losing a clutch of wickets.

Nandani’s dream run continues

Coming off a three-for against Thailand, Nandani Sharma’s seam presentation and control was immaculate with the new ball as Hong Kong crawled to 4 for 1 in four overs. The wicket, off Mariko Hill, one of their most experienced batters, came off a superb in-ducker on the back of three successive away-swingers. Nandani added one more wicket to her kitty to finish with 2 for 6 off her three overs.

The collapse

The highest partnership of the innings was the 27 between Yasmin Daswani and Natasha Miles for the second wicket; a period where they hardly threw any caution to the wind, choosing instead to bat overs and gain some match time against an opponent they were playing for the first time in 14 years.

The partnership ended when Daswani’s attempt to heave into the leg side was intercepted by a leaping Bharti Fulmali at midwicket to give Deepti Sharma a wicket. Six balls later, Miles was out attempting to cut Prema Rawat’s sharp leg break, nicking behind to Richa Ghosh.

That was the start of the collapse, as India’s spinners closed in, each one getting onto the scorecard with a bagful. There were eight single-digit scores, with 15 the highest. They lost their last five wickets in 11 deliveries, collapsing from 54 for 5 to 56 all out.

India couldn’t have asked for an easier route into the semi-finals.

Scores:
India Women 193 for 5 in 20 overs (Smriti Mandhana 124, Shafali Verma 28, Pratika Rawal 10, Richa Gosh 11, Harmanpreet Kaur 10; Marina Lamplough 2-46, Ruchitha Venkatesh 1-30, Joyleen Kaur 1-12) beat Hong Kong Women 56 in 16.2 overs (Natasha Miles 15, Yasmin Daswani 11, Marina Lamplough 14; Nandani Sharma 2-06, Shree Charani 2-16, Deepti Sharma 3-09, Prema Rawat 2-12) by 137 runs

[Cricinfo]

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Sun directly overhead Nittambuwa, Algama, Malwana, Aranayake, Meegahakiula and Panamkadu about 12.09 noon today (04)

Published

15 hours ago

2026/09/4

Priyan

The sun is going to be directly over the latitudes of Sri Lanka from 28th of August to 07th of September due to its apparent southward relative motion.

The nearest places of Sri Lanka over which the sun is overhead today (04) are Nittambuwa, Algama, Malwana, Aranayake, Meegahakiula and Panamkadu about 12.09 noon.