Krejcikova Finding A Home On Wimbledon's Grass? - UBITENNIS

Krejcikova Finding A Home On Wimbledon’s Grass?

Having won 15 matches in a row, the French Open champion will play world number one Ashleigh Barty next

By James Beck
6 Min Read

Barbora Krejcikova looks out of sync at times. Yet, the 25-year-old Czech is one of the most amazing women’s tennis players in the world.

She doesn’t even look athletic when compared to young Coco Gauff. But, boy, can Krejcikova play tennis alongside the best of the best.

From the red clay of Paris’ Roland Garros to the famed green grass of Wimbledon is a route  much more difficult to navigate than it might appear. Only a few have conquered both. Even the great Roger Federer has done it just once.

A SWIRLING MIND BACK TO DOUBLES?

Krejcikova looked very much at home last month while startling almost everyone by winning the French Open, not just in singles but doubles as well.

Now, she’s turning heads on Wimbledon’s slick grass courts. Winning despite committing 56 unforced errors in three sets is enough to make people take a second look at this 5-10 puzzle.

She struggles for nearly an entire match. But flinch when everything is on the line, and Krejcikova becomes a different player, firmly in control of the little yellow ball. Mistakes seem to be a world away at that point.

Maybe, her mind whirls back to the many Grand Slam doubles titles she has won with Katerina Siniakova, three to be exact, but six if you count Junior Grand Slam titles and nine overall with three mixed doubles Australian Open titles.

KREJCIKOVA’S OWN WORLD

Anastasipa Sevastova must have thought she had her opponent figured out in Saturday’s third round when she served for the first set twice against the rather casual looking player on the other side of the net. But Krejcikova was in her other world by then.

Sevastova could then muster only one point against Krejcikova in a first-set tiebreaker, and eventually lost the third-round match, 7-6 (1), 3-6, 7-5.

Krejcikova has won an amazing 15 straight tour matches on the two hardest surfaces to conquer in tennis. Before that, no one was aware that such a talented player, however unpredictable, was equipped to play such havoc on women’s tennis.

BATTLE OF THE AMAZING

Krejcikova is in the fourth round now at Wimbledon in singles where the No. 1 player in the world, Ashleigh Barty, awaits her in the round of 16.

Barty, of course, is amazing, too. She’s so athletic, so composed.

But Krejcikova also is an amazing talent. When the ball is in play, she is one of the top talents in women’s tennis.

A couple months ago, almost no one had heard of Krejcikova, except her doubles fans. Of course, doubles don’t occupy a great deal of TV time.

When she lost to Iga Swiatek in three sets in the round of 16 in Rome, it was just another loss. After all, Swiatek was the reigning French Open champion. But, for Krejcikova, it just opened the doors to greatness. Fifteen straight wins, and maybe counting.

STRASBOURG STARTED THE STREAK

Krejcikova started her next tournament in Strasbourg with a win over qualifier Oceane Dodin, who retired with an injury. By the end of the week, Krejcikova had opened a few eyes when she walked off with the title even without playing a top 30 player in her five straight wins.

She shocked the tennis world when she won the French Open, although she faced only one top 10 player in Paris, third seed Elina Svitolina in the third round.

But now Krejcikova is on the green grass of Wimbledon, and her game naturally looks a little different. But she’s the same player still.

KREJCIKOVA’S VEINS TURN TO ICE

Krejcikova  just isn’t getting the short balls that come with the red clay of Roland Garros. Krejcikova turned most of those short balls into some of the slickest sharply angled ground strokes from the shadows of the net. Backhand or forehand? It didn’t matter.

Without those short balls on grass, Krejcikova just hits outright winners from the baseline to end rallies.

Although Krejcikova looks a little unglued at times, her veins turn to ice when a match is on the line. She pulled that stunt on Sevastova a few times, switching gears to “mindset” to dominate the first-set tiebreaker and then to close out the third set for the win.

Krejcikova will have her hands full against Barty. It might be the other way around, too.


See James Beck’s Charleston (S.C.) Post and Courier columns at postandcourier.com (search on James Beck column). James Beck can be reached at Jamesbecktennis@gmail.com

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