Barbora Krejcikova clinched her second Grand Slam singles title by defeating Jasmine Paolini in a gripping Wimbledon final.
The 28-year-old Czech, who previously won the French Open in 2021, secured a 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 victory on her third championship point. In an emotional moment, Krejcikova celebrated by sharing a warm embrace with Paolini at the net and looking up to blow a kiss to the sky, honoring her late friend and coach, Jana Novotna. Novotna, the 1998 Wimbledon champion, had inspired Krejcikova to pursue a professional tennis career and dream big.
“Barbora Krejcikova while talking to reporters said “I don’t have any words right now, it’s just unbelievable,” the Czech said, to cheers from the crowd.
Asked what it means to the Czech Republic to have another Wimbledon champion, she said: “Well, I think nobody believes it that I got to the final and nobody believes that I won Wimbledon.
“I still can’t believe it.” she added.
She followed in the footsteps of 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova, making it back-to-back Wimbledon victories for the Czech Republic in women’s singles. Overwhelmed by her achievement, Krejcikova climbed up to the players’ box to celebrate with her tearful team and family, declaring it the best day of her tennis career and life.
For Jasmine Paolini, the loss marked a second consecutive Grand Slam final defeat, having also been a runner-up to Iga Swiatek at the French Open. Paolini aimed to become Italy’s first women’s singles champion at Wimbledon but fell short against the determined Krejcikova.
