“It’s been a very complicated year,” Barbora Krejcikova declared after qualifying for the semifinals at Wimbledon. Battling not only her opponents but also several injuries, the Czech player is on a mission to win a second Grand Slam in her career. However, when she looks back on her journey so far, the glory of success up until now feels like a dream to her!

“ I was so far away…I didn’t expect to go this far,” Barbora Krejcikova said as she now prepares to face the former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the semifinals. After all, she has not had her best season so far, but qualifying for the semifinals of Wimbledon has proved that she has yet to show her best. Although Krejcicova started the year by qualifying for the quarterfinals of the Australian Open earlier this year, the former World No. 2 struggled to keep the same form throughout the season. On top of that, over the last couple of months, the 28-year-old player could not go past the second round of any tournament except in Birmingham (played in the quarterfinal). 

Naturally, when she talks about her “ups and downs” post-Australian Open, fans can relate to it quite well. However, as the season proceeded, Krejcikova agreed, “I don’t know why. My body didn’t agree.” Indeed, after her quarterfinal loss in Abu Dhabi, a back injury struck Krejcikova down. However, after days of recovery from the pain, as she started training and was about to find her rhythm, once again her fate intervened in between! This time, it was the flu that kept her away from the spotlight.

However, the two-time doubles champion at Wimbledon did not give up. “I’m extremely proud of never having given up, of being here, of having the energy and the strength to overcome this and to fight to show my best tennis.” Although she remained absent from the court for over two months after February, when she finally came back, the Czech player couldn’t play in her usual form on clay. Nevertheless, Krejcikova has defied all odds at Wimbledon and has defeated Jelena Ostapenko to reach the semifinals. 

“What surprises me the most is to have reached the semi-finals. Every time I came back on the circuit, I was sick. I won two matches before Wimbledon.” As she steps forward in the game, the tension rises rapidly, as this is not the first time they have both met on the grass courts of Wimbledon. 

Barbora Krejcikova talks about what she is expecting in her semifinal clash against Rybakina

Barbora Krejcikova, who is “super happy” to be in the semifinals at Wimbledon, is no stranger to the aggressive playing style of Elena Rybakina. Interestingly, Krejcikova also has a 2-0 lead over the Kazakhstani player. While the first one was during the Melbourne 500 Grampians in 2021, the other was a couple of years ago at the Ostrava Open.

However, when asked about her previous matches with World No. 4, Krejcikova reluctantly said, “I don’t remember those matches. I don’t know, I will have to look at them.” Furthermore, she added, “I know the last time I played (against her) was in Ostrava. It was a very tight match; it was very up and down. From what I remember, I was down most of the time. Then somehow, I was able to turn around the match. It was definitely a huge match for me and I’m expecting another huge match in the semifinals.” 

Addressing Rybakina as a “great player,” Barbora Krejcikova also shed light on the “weapons,” that her opponent might use against her in the game. Nevertheless, as Krejcikova goes on to achieve her dreams in London, one thing is clear: we are all glad that Krejcikova “never gave up” in the face of adversity!