Barbora Krejcikova breaks down in tears as BBC capture ‘overwhelming’ Wimbledon moment | Tennis | Sport
The 28-year-old held it together on court as she gave a heartwarming speech, earning plenty of laughs from the Wimbledon crowd. But the BBC aired an emotional moment in the clubhouse after Krejcikova walked off court.
Cameras cut to Krejcikova, who covered her face as she cried, standing by the roll of honour. As Jevans consoled her, Balding told viewers: “Oh gosh, well, Barbora Krejcikova having seen I think Jana Novotna’s name there with her. And Debbie Jevans who knew Jana very well, was a great friend of hers in fact, comforting Barbora because it is, in this moment, overwhelming.”
Novotna has always been a fan favourite at Wimbledon. In 1993, she sobbed on the Duchess of Kent’s shoulder after losing a heartbreaking final to Steffi Graf, blowing a 4-1 lead in the final set. She finally lifted the trophy five years later, getting her redemption.
The former No. 2 passed away in 2017 aged 49 after a battle with ovarian cancer. Novotna had been a crucial figure in Krejcikova’s career – a story the newly-crowned Wimbledon champion told during her crowning moment. The 28-year-old famously confided in Novotna when she felt lost at the end of her junior career.
“I think coming to Jana, knocking on her door, giving her the letter, everything that happened during that moment – I think it changed my life. It definitely changed my tennis life,” Krejcikova said on Saturday. “During the period when I finished juniors, I didn’t know what I should do, if I should continue and play pro, if I should go the way of education. And Jana was the one that told me that I have the potential and that I should definitely turn pro and just try to make it.”
Since then, the Czech star has been able to realise the hopes that Novotna had for her. She added: “Before she passed away, she told me to go and win a Slam and I mean, I achieved that already in Paris in 2021 and it was an unbelievable moment for me and I never dreamed that I would win the same trophy as Jana did in 1998.”
Krejcikova later addressed the emotional behind-the-scenes moment. “Well, the only thing that was going through my head was that I miss Jana a lot. It was just very, very emotional. Very emotional moment to see me on a board right next to her,” she explained. “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.”
The 28-year-old also revealed that Novotna often visited her in her dreams. She added: “I’m dreaming about her a lot. I’m dreaming about her, like, in a dream, yeah.”
It’s not the first time this week that Krejcikova has become overwhelmed when touching on what Novotna meant to her. After she beat Elena Rybakina in the semis, she had to turn away from the microphone and cry during her on-court interview when Annabel Croft told her that Novotna would be “looking down on her”.
