When Krejcikova was making the transition from junior to pro, she and her parents visited Novotna, a four-time Grand Slam singles finalist, at her home for advice, according to WTA.
"I worked with Jana Novotna (the last Wimbledon champion in 1998). She told me a lot of stories about her journey here and how she tried to win. She is definitely my inspiration. I fight for every ball because I think that's what she would want me to do." I miss her a lot," Krejcikova said in her on-court interview.
"(Novotna and I) talked about [her] matches here," she added in her post-match press conference. "It's been a while since we talked about it, so I can't really tell you what it was about. But we definitely did it. Yeah, I mean, I hope she's proud."
Novotna not only provided words of wisdom, but also became a hands-on coach for Krejcikova during her journey to qualification through the ITF Challenger circuit. She was Novotna's last protégé before her death from ovarian cancer.
"After my junior career, Jana was a lot [as an inspiration] because I had the opportunity to meet her and spend time with her and see how she carries herself, who she is, what a great champion she is," Krejcikova said.
Krejcikova, a ten-time Grand Slam doubles winner, including two crowns here in 2018 and 2022, became the seventh Czech-born woman to reach the Wimbledon women's singles final after Martina Navratilova, Hana Mandlikova, Jana Novotna, Petra Kvitova, Karolina Pliskova. , Marketa Vondrousova.
If Krejcikova were to win Saturday's final, she could become the second consecutive Czech to win the title after Marketa Vondrousova triumphed last year.
"I worked with Jana Novotna (the last Wimbledon champion in 1998). She told me a lot of stories about her journey here and how she tried to win. She is definitely my inspiration. I fight for every ball because I think that's what she would want me to do." I miss her a lot," Krejcikova said in her on-court interview.
"(Novotna and I) talked about [her] matches here," she added in her post-match press conference. "It's been a while since we talked about it, so I can't really tell you what it was about. But we definitely did it. Yeah, I mean, I hope she's proud."
Novotna not only provided words of wisdom, but also became a hands-on coach for Krejcikova during her journey to qualification through the ITF Challenger circuit. She was Novotna's last protégé before her death from ovarian cancer.
"After my junior career, Jana was a lot [as an inspiration] because I had the opportunity to meet her and spend time with her and see how she carries herself, who she is, what a great champion she is," Krejcikova said.
Krejcikova, a ten-time Grand Slam doubles winner, including two crowns here in 2018 and 2022, became the seventh Czech-born woman to reach the Wimbledon women's singles final after Martina Navratilova, Hana Mandlikova, Jana Novotna, Petra Kvitova, Karolina Pliskova. , Marketa Vondrousova.
If Krejcikova were to win Saturday's final, she could become the second consecutive Czech to win the title after Marketa Vondrousova triumphed last year.
