If you keep swinging and you’ve got the skill, the nerves under control, and the will, you might end up in a Grand Slam final. That’s where Barbora Krejcikova finds herself after her stunning win over Elena Rybakina in the semifinals. It’s great to see Krejcikova find her way back to a Slam final after a long time. She has such a fantastic game when she’s on and can beat anyone. It’s a shame she has been inconsistent with it.
Rybakina started the match brilliantly and was the better player in the first set. Krejcikova was extremely motivated to turn it around in the second set and her change of pace and variety took Rybakina out of her rhythm and comfort zone. Her fighting spirit was commendable–she made Rybakina hit the extra shot again and again and was chasing every ball. In the end, she was thoroughly outplaying Rybakina in every way.
The 2021 French Open champion has now won her last 12 semifinals in a row at the Tour level and is 13-1 overall. This proves that when she goes deep in a tournament, she is very hard to beat. A Wimbledon final was probably a long time coming for her; she’s such a natural grass courter and her game translates well to this surface. She had a great on-court interview after beating Rybakina where she dedicated the win and the run at Wimbledon to her late mentor, Jana Novotna.
Krejcikova Is A Joy To Watch In Full Flow
When Barbora Krejcikova gets in a flow, her tennis is a visual treat. Huge serves placed with pinpoint accuracy, slices, squash shots, and defending without giving her opponent rhythm. The way she holds the ball until the last second and forces you to guess, makes you feel behind, and then effortlessly guides those long, smooth shots in the corners. There’s power behind it and it lands deep but the trajectory makes it look almost slow. It’s fascinating the way she gets under her opponents’ skin.
Krejcikova is shockingly absent from conversations about players with high peaks even though her results and head-to-head against top players suggest she must be up there. She’s not a basher but the ability to combine her variety with genuinely threatening groundstrokes and serves is overwhelming to even the best when she’s peaking.
Krejcikova is a confidence-driven player. She is like a sleeping dragon: she can be dormant for a long time and suddenly come to life and breathe fire on everyone from top to bottom. After a horrible season ruined by illness and injury, she has found her best game at the right time.
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
