Barbola Krejcikova is still surprised to have won Wimbledon

LONDON-. Barbola Krejcikova He recalled that he didn’t know he could win an individual title Grand Slam —that is, until he did it, three years ago in the French Open and now he has conquered Wimbledon.

Thus — as Krejcikova told a small group of reporters Saturday at the All England Club while wearing a purple pin signifying her victory at Wimbledon — she also couldn’t have known it was possible for her to win her second major trophy.

And after she claimed her second with a 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 win over Jasmine Paolini in the final on Centre Court, Krejcikova explained that no one can predict what she will do next.

“Well, who knows what I can do now and what I can’t do. I mean, I don’t even know,” the 28-year-old Czech said. “Before Roland Garros, I didn’t know I could win a Slam. Before here, I didn’t know I could win another Slam. So who knows what I’m capable of? For me, the most important thing is to enjoy the journey. To be happy on the court and have fun. And to combine all of this — to feel good and be happy.”

So when a reporter asked her if she enjoyed every second of that crucial third set against Paolini, Krejcikova answered without hesitation.

“Yeah, I was happy. I was really enjoying the moment,” he said. “I was fighting for every ball and trying to get the momentum on my side. I was trying to find a way to break it. I felt like I served well, so I thought if I could break it I could serve for the match.”

Prophetic

As it turned out, it was Paolini who gave in, double-faulting to get broken and trailing 4-3. Nearly 10 minutes later, the final was over and Krejcikova — who needed three match points to wrap up the match — threw her arms in the air and climbed into the stands to celebrate with hugs.

Krejcikova was the 31st seed and arrived at the All England Club with a 7-9 record this year thanks to a back injury and illness that sidelined her.

But that’s misleading. She’s talented enough to have returned to No. 2 in the WTA singles rankings and No. 2 in doubles. She has seven Grand Slam doubles titles, plus three in mixed.

“She takes very good angles with her shots. She is a very complete player,” said Paolini, the first woman since Venus Williams in 2002 to lose back-to-back Grand Slam finals at the French Open and Wimbledon. “She is very good.”

What does this mean for Krejcikova’s future?

Nobody knows…