Wimbledon Champion Barbora Kreichkova admitted on Saturday that she was inspired by her late mentor and all England Club Ex Champion Yana misses Navotna a lot and even talks to her in her dreams.
Krychikova broke down in tears when she saw her name on the center court honors board, which also included Novotna’s 1998 victory.
“The only thing going through my mind was that I miss Yana so much,” Kreichkova said following beating Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 in Saturday’s final. It was very emotional.
‘It’s a very emotional moment to see my name on a board alongside them. I think they would be proud. I think she’ll be really happy to have my name on the same board as hers, because Wimbledon was so special to her.’
Novotna coached Krychikova from 2014 to 2017, when she died of cancer at the age of 49.
Navotna became the Wimbledon champion in 1998 following losing the finals at the All England Club in 1993 and 1997.
She wept on the shoulder of Great Britain’s Duchess of Kent following the 1993 championship match. She lost to Steffi Graf in this match.
Navotna led 4-1 in the third set and was just one point away from going 5-1.
She lost the next match and was defeated 7–6 (8/6), 1–6, 6–4.
Before they began working together, Krychikova wrote a letter asking her compatriot for career advice.
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As a teenager, Krychikova was at the crossroads of turning professional and studying full time when she finished her junior career.
“I said, ‘I don’t know what to do now, so if they see me, maybe they can help me, guide me, tell me which direction I should go,'” Krychikova recalled.
Navotna responded within a week and the two began working together.
“I’ve been dreaming regarding him a lot and we’ve been talking in those dreams,” said Krychikova, who has now won two Grand Slam singles titles.
He added: ‘I have a little notebook that I wrote when I was 12. Three or four months ago, she was looking at the notebook.
I have written that in the future I want to win the French Open. When I met Yana and she told me regarding Wimbledon, regarding the grass, how difficult it was for her to win the title and how emotional she was when she won it.
‘From then on I began to see Wimbledon as the biggest tournament in the world.’
#talk #Yana #Novotna #dreams #Wimbledon #champion #Barbora
2024-07-15 01:38:41
