Twenty-six years ago, Barbora Krejcikova’s mentor, Jana Novotna won her only slam at Wimbledon. Sadly, she is no longer with us. The 28-year-old tennis star who has won a major in her career will now look forward to emulate her late mentor’s feat. Krejcikova has now become the 7th Czech woman to reach the final in the grass slam in the Open Era. Novotna had a big role to play in her rapid rise. Were there any specific tips and tricks that came to the mind of the 2021 French Open winner while she was on a comeback against Elena Rybakina in the SF?

“Well, to be honest, I wasn’t really thinking about anything. I mean I was just trying to play like instinctively and I was just fighting for every single ball. I was just letting myself run and go, I mean try to pick the side you know just try to get one more ball to Elena’s side and give your everything,” said Krejcikova in the Tennis Channel interview. Krejcikova had struggled to find her rhythm earlier this season. She has had many ups and downs. So, this victory in the SF meant a lot to her. She even broke down in tears while remembering her former coach in the on-court post-match interview.

“I just miss her very much, I miss her so much,” said the Czech tennis star. She has a lot of memories with Jana Novotna. Krejcikova’s parents were the ones who took her to Novotna when she was just 18 years old. Both were born in the same Czech city, Brno. She saw something special in Barbora Krejcikova in their first meeting itself and later on became her coach, mentor, and friend until her eventual demise.

Krejcikova was her last protégé before her death from ovarian cancer. So, there will always be regret in Barbora Krejcikova for failing to make her beloved mentor witness her emphatic triumphs in her career. She was with her through thick and thin, and Krejcikova thinks she’ll always be with her in the future as well!

“She is looking after me from up there” – Barbora Krejcikova can feel the blessings of her late mentor

It’s the first time Barbora Krejcikova has reached a Grand Slam singles final since her emphatic triumph at the 2021 French Open. Shortly after winning the title in Paris, she said, “She is looking after me from up there.” Now, she’ll be hoping to get a similar blessing when she takes on the in-form Jasmine Paolini in the finals of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships.

She wants to fight every single ball in this match because that’s exactly what her mentor always wanted her to do. Speaking about her admiration for Jana Novotna, she said, “After my juniors career, it was a lot about Jana (as an inspiration])because I had an opportunity to meet her and to spend time with her and see, like, how she behaves, who she is, how such a big champion she is.“

She meant a lot to Barbora Krejcikova, so when she died, the 28-year-old revealed that it was pretty much “hard” for her to digest her absence. Because she was with her most of the time during that phase in her career. Her last words for Krejcikova were, “Just enjoy it and try to win a Grand Slam.” She has already won one. Can she win her second major title on Saturday (July 13)?