An inspired Barbora Krejcikova etched her name onto Wimbledon's famed honors board alongside her late mentor Jana Novotna after the seasoned Czech survived a stirring fightback from Jasmine Paolini to seal a 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 victory in the final on Saturday.
The 2021 French Open champion added the Venus Rosewater Dish to her bulging trophy cabinet that also includes 10 Grand Slam doubles prizes and an Olympic doubles gold medal from the Tokyo Games three years ago.
Moments after her triumph, Krejcikova was reflecting on a chat that she had as a junior with her idol Novotna, who lifted the Wimbledon title 26 years ago. Novotna died in 2017 at age 49 following a battle with ovarian cancer.