At age 18, a decade before Barbora Krejcíková won Wimbledon on Saturday, she was done with junior tennis and couldn't decide whether to pursue a professional tennis career or move on, go to school and find a different path.
So Krejcíková wrote a letter to one of her idols, 1998 Wimbledon champion Jana Novotná, and dropped it off at her home in their native Czech Republic. Not only did Novotná tell Krejciková she had talent and should stick with the sport, but she also became a mentor until she died of cancer in 2017.
"Before she passed away," Krejcíková said, "she told me to go and win a Slam."
How about two?
Krejcíková was an unseeded, surprising winner at the French Open three years ago and added to her trophy case with a 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 victory over Jasmine Paolini in the final at the All England Club. Shortly after Saturday's match, Krejcíková went and looked at her justprinted name on the list of Wimbledon champions posted in a Centre Court hallway-and saw Novotná's there, too. "The only thing that was going through my head," Krejciková said of that moment, "was that I miss Jana a lot. It was just very, very emotional ... I think she would be proud."
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