Barbora Krejcikova Wins 2024 Wimbledon Women's Title

On Saturday, the 18-years old Barbora Krejcikova won her second single grand slam title after winning the 2024 Wimbledon trophy for women. 

Krejcikova paid a tribute to her idol and mentor, 1998 Wimbledon champion, Jana Novotna, who died of cancer in 2017.

“Before she passed away,” Krejcikova said, “she told me to go and win a Slam.”

Krejcikova was an unseeded, and was the biggest surprise at the French Open three years ago by winning the tournament.

She added a second grand slam single title by a 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 victory over Italy's Jasmine Paolini in the final. Paolini was one of the most shining names of this year's tournament and earned the respect of all tennis lovers around the world. 

Paolini, the runner-up to Iga Swiatek at the French Open last month, is the first woman since Serena Williams in 2016 to get to the finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same season — and the first since Venus Williams in 2002 to lose both.

After her victory, Krejcikova went and looked at her just-printed name on the list of Wimbledon champions posted in a Centre Court hallway — and saw Novotna’s there, too.

“The only thing that was going through my head,” Krejcikova said of that moment, “was that I miss Jana a lot. It was just very, very emotional. ... I think she would be proud.”

She is the second successive champion from the Czech Republic as the last year's champion was the unseeded Marketa Vondrousova, who lost in the first round last week.