Barbora Krejcikova's Roland Garros journey shows the extent of what belief & guidance can achieve
Barbora Krejcikova's extraordinary run at Roland Garros 2021 culminated in the perfect ending as she beat Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 in the final. Seeing off five seeds en route to the title, Krejcikova's triumphant journey was forged through a unique combination of courage, consistency and ambition.
And the seeds of that journey were sown seven years ago, under the care of another courageous champion.
At the age of 18, Barbora Krejcikova paid a visit to the house of former player Jana Novotna, seeking advice as she prepared herself to step into the pro circuit. Novotna, a Czech tennis icon who won the 1998 Wimbledon Championships, saw a spark in the young woman and decided to mentor her.
The champion’s faith in her pupil produced the sweetest of results seven years later, as Krejcikova lifted the glorious singles trophy at the French Open. Novotna herself succumbed to cancer in 2017, and in an incredibly emotional moment Krejcikova dedicated her title win to the late great:
"She had told me to go out and try and win a Grand Slam some day. For last two weeks, I felt she has been looking down on me."
A former World No. 1 in doubles, Barbora Krejcikova bagged five Grand Slam titles in that discipline between 2018 and 2021. She has often been referred to as a 'doubles specialist', but the Czech wants more from her career.
"I never really wanted to be a doubles specialist," she said after her semifinal win over Maria Sakkari. "Everybody just put a label on me. But we [with partner Katerina Siniakova] won our first two Grand Slams when I was 22. I felt like I don't want to be a doubles specialist when I was 22. I want to play singles. I want to work hard, improve my game. I want to play the top players actually in singles."
Barbora Krejcikova has been as good as her word, and her singles rise has been a steady road full of self-realisation and belief. Going past the first round at a Major for the first time at the Australian Open last year, she improved her record exponentially by reaching the fourth round of the French Open nine months later.
The Czech started 2021 with the mixed doubles title at the Australian Open, but the year would go on to yield a tour breakthrough in singles for her. A final in Dubai followed by a maiden WTA title in Strasbourg placed Krejcikova well inside the world’s top 40.
Unseeded at the 2021 French Open, Barbora Krejcikova entered the tournament as a proverbial dark horse. But it wasn’t until her upset of fifth seed Elina Svitolina in the third round that she started being talked about as a potential threat in the draw.
Barbora Krejcikova's tricks and variety were a treat to watch throughout the Roland Garros fortnight
As the fortnight went by, Barbora Krejcikova’s defensive skills and tricky slices caused even more ripples across the tournament. She came out unscathed from her first five matches, tying her opponents into knots with her variety and unpredictability, before taking the court for the semifinal against Maria Sakkari.
In what eventually became the longest women’s singles semifinal match in Roland Garros history, the Czech saved a match point to enter her first Grand Slam final.
The championship match was the first such opportunity for both finalists, and it showed. Barbora Krejcikova won six straight games to grab the first set, with her opponent Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova looking overwhelmed by the occasion. Then with the finish line in sight, it was Krejcikova's turn to freeze.
Pavlyuchenkova fended off an injury scare to win the second set by almost the same scare as the first, but in reverse direction. The match turned into a one-set shootout, and nobody could predict how it would go.
But Barbora Krejcikova’s serve, which had been dependable throughout the tournament, ultimately made the difference in the decisive third set. Pavlyuchenkova lost her serve at 3-3 due to a couple of unforced errors, and there was no way back for her from there.
Barbora Krejcikova held the rest of her service games to clinch her first Grand Slam singles title, and viewers all over the world smiled at her incredible achievement.
With the legendary Martina Navratilova looking on from the stands, Barbora Krejcikova created Czech history on the holy soil of Court Philippe Chatrier. She became the first woman from her country in 40 years to lift the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen.
If Krejcikova wins the doubles title on Sunday, she could also become the first woman since 2000 (Mary Pierce) to do the singles and doubles title sweep at Roland Garros. It sounds like a tough task, but with self-belief like hers and a guardian angel in the form of Jana Novotna, would anyone put it past Barbora Krejcikova?