Barbora Krejcikova Wins Wimbledon for Second Grand Slam Trophy
Barbora Krejcikova celebrates winning Championship point during her Ladies' Singles Final match at The Championships Wimbledon on July 13.
Photographer: Clive Brunskill/Getty ImagesLONDON (AP) — At age 18, a decade before Barbora Krejcikova won Wimbledon on Saturday, she was done with junior tennis and couldn't decide whether to pursue a professional tennis career or move on, go to school and find a different path.
So Krejcikova wrote a letter to one of her idols, 1998 Wimbledon champion Jana Novotna, and dropped it off at her home in their native Czech Republic. Not only did Novotna tell Krejcikova she had talent and should stick with the sport, but she also became a mentor until dying of cancer in 2017.