Barbora Krejcikova revealed her childhood dream was to win the French Open, but the newly anointed Wimbledon women's champion admits Saturday's victory on Centre Court was the best day of her life.
Three years after fulfilling her lifelong dream by winning her maiden Grand Slam at Roland Garos, the 28-year-old Czech etched her name on the Wimbledon h.onours roll, claiming the Venus Rosewater Dish with a 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 victory over Jasmine Paolini.
In doing so, she joined compatriots Petra Kvitova, Marketa Vondrousova and her late mentor Jana Novotna in winning the grasscourt slam.
"Winning any slam is great. Winning here at the Wimbledon is huge for me," said Krejcikova, who teared up when she was shown Novotna's name on the honours board earlier.
"I wouldn't really say it was like my dream when I was little. I have like a notebook that I wrote when I was 12. I don't know, maybe like three, four months ago I was looking through that notebook.
"I had there that in future ... I'd like to win the French Open ... Maybe things shifted a bit when I met Jana and when she was telling me stories about Wimbledon, grass, how difficult it was for her to win the title and how emotional she was when she actually made it.
"I think since then I started to see the Wimbledon like the biggest tournament in the world."
Novotna, who died in 2017 after a battle with cancer, had famously won the hearts of fans when she sobbed on the Duchess of Kent's shoulder during the presentation ceremony after being beaten by Steffi Graf in the 1993 final, where she threw away a 5-1 lead in the deciding set.
She was also a symbol of perseverance at Wimbledon as she had also lost the 1997 final before finally landing the title a year later.
"Very emotional moment to see me on a board right next to her," added Krejcikova, who first began working with Novotna in 2014.
"I think she would be proud. I think she would be really excited that I'm on the same board as she is because Wimbledon was super special for her.
"I think she would tell me that she is very proud about me and that she's super happy."
A teenage Krejcikova had been torn between turning professional after her junior career or going into full-time education.
"I said 'I don't know what to do right now' so could she look at me and maybe help me, guide me, tell me which direction should I go," remembered Krejcikova.
Novotna replied within a week and after that the two started to work together.
"I'm dreaming about her a lot and we are talking in those dreams," added Krejcikova.
Krejcikova went on to say that it was the best day of her life in her on-court speech and added in a press conference that she was also playing the best tennis of her career.
"Because today was very difficult, and I really had to dig deep in every aspect. Also in tennis, but also mentally," added Krejcikova.
"I'm extremely proud that I was able to do that, to hold everything together, and to just win the final."
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Terminator: Dark Fate
Director: Tim Miller
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Mackenzie Davis
Rating: 3/5
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
The years Ramadan fell in May
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Disposing of non-recycleable masks
Use your ‘black bag’ bin at home
Do not put them in a recycling bin
Take them home with you if there is no litter bin
- No need to bag the mask
Family reunited
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was born and raised in Tehran and studied English literature before working as a translator in the relief effort for the Japanese International Co-operation Agency in 2003.
She moved to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies before moving to the World Health Organisation as a communications officer.
She came to the UK in 2007 after securing a scholarship at London Metropolitan University to study a master's in communication management and met her future husband through mutual friends a month later.
The couple were married in August 2009 in Winchester and their daughter was born in June 2014.
She was held in her native country a year later.
U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
Saturday 15 January: v Canada
Thursday 20 January: v England
Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly, Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya Shetty, Kai Smith
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium (Malacca, Malayisa)
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia scheduled for October 10
CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Bahrain%20GP
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'Saand Ki Aankh'
Produced by: Reliance Entertainment with Chalk and Cheese Films
Director: Tushar Hiranandani
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Bhumi Pednekar, Prakash Jha, Vineet Singh
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
U19 World Cup in South Africa
Group A: India, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka
Group B: Australia, England, Nigeria, West Indies
Group C: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Scotland, Zimbabwe
Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa, UAE
UAE fixtures
Saturday, January 18, v Canada
Wednesday, January 22, v Afghanistan
Saturday, January 25, v South Africa
UAE squad
Aryan Lakra (captain), Vriitya Aravind, Deshan Chethyia, Mohammed Farazuddin, Jonathan Figy, Osama Hassan, Karthik Meiyappan, Rishabh Mukherjee, Ali Naseer, Wasi Shah, Alishan Sharafu, Sanchit Sharma, Kai Smith, Akasha Tahir, Ansh Tandon
UAE'S%20YOUNG%20GUNS
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The bio
Favourite food: Japanese
Favourite car: Lamborghini
Favourite hobby: Football
Favourite quote: If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough
Favourite country: UAE
Indika
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nag%20Ashwin%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPrabhas%2C%20Saswata%20Chatterjee%2C%20Deepika%20Padukone%2C%20Amitabh%20Bachchan%2C%20Shobhana%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%E2%98%85%E2%98%85%E2%98%85%E2%98%85%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
World Cup qualifier
Thailand 2 (Dangda 26', Panya 51')
UAE 1 (Mabkhout 45 2')
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The%20specs
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The Written World: How Literature Shaped History
Martin Puchner
Granta
