From hitting balls as a hobby to holding a Grand Slam trophy, Barbora Krejcikova’s tennis tale is one for the ages! The Czech tennis star’s rise to fame is a journey full of twists and turns, mixed with a healthy dose of determination and love for the sport. But when did her “fun” with tennis turn into her passion to be at the top of the game? Let’s dive into the inspirational story of the Wimbledon finalist in her own words.

“I always loved tennis, always wanted to play but only played for fun,” Barbora Krejcikova told the New York Times. Indeed, her interest in tennis began quite early, at the age of six. Initially coached by Jana Novotna, the Czech player’s junior career was nothing but remarkable. In 2013, she rose to the top 3 in the junior WTA rankings at the mere age of 17. Not only in singles, she could swing her racquet with the same energy and enthusiasm in doubles too. As a result, in the same year, she cracked the Grand Slam code and won the girls’ doubles title at the French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open with ease. 

By then, she had already made up her mind to achieve her dreams in tennis. “I only realized later, when I was 16 or 17 and playing junior slams, that this was something that I would love to do. That I wanted to be in the same locker room as the superstars and play against them someday,” Krejcikova explained in the same interview.

Who could stop her from moving toward her dream after that? The next year (2014), Barbora Krejcikova decided to play professional tennis and made her WTA Tour debut. After showcasing her talent in doubles in the following years while also maintaining her doubles No. 1 player record, her career took a major turn in 2021. Before making her Wimbledon singles debut that year, the Czech earned her first Grand Slam glory at the French Open. Soon, more success came flooding in, as she reached No. 2 in the WTA rankings the following year!

With sheer hard work and ambition, Krejcikova, who won her maiden WTA 1000 singles title last year in Dubai, is now at Wimbledon and aiming for a second Grand Slam, having got past Elena Rybakina, the former champion of the event. However, success hasn’t come easy for Krejcikova. By her own admission, she has had to develop her game to adapt to various surfaces.

Barbora Krejcikova is happy about her improvement on “faster surfaces”

“I had to develop my game because everybody else is developing their game too. It’s great that it looks like I made some progress, that I’m in another final,”  Barbora Krejcikova declared after her semifinal victory against Rybakina. It seems like she has had a great boost of confidence after reaching the final, and why won’t she? Over the last five months, she has only been able to qualify for one quarterfinal match (Birmingham). A jump to the final, that too in a Grand Slam, is a big deal for the former World No. 2.

“I felt I had to improve everything. I think I definitely got better on faster surfaces,” Krejcikova explained. The 28-year-old has also gone through a dark time this year owing to her back injury and illness (flu). But that’s a thing of the past now, as she is ready to add an eighth title to her record. As she moves towards more success, her story will continue to inspire the tennis world!