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If a tennis match could be divided into three distinct parts, Barbora Krejcikova versus Jasmine Paolini in the ladies’ final on Saturday at Wimbledon was a prime example. The form book had been shredded, as famous names had been waylaid this fortnight. Eventually, Paolini couldn’t come on strong, as Krejcikova produced a masterclass in three sets.
On a sun-kissed Saturday afternoon on the Centre Court, watching two players with different styles compete on worn-out grass had the audience glued to their seats. This was not meant to be the final, as per early predictions. Truth to tell, predicting results in a ladies’ final match at Wimbledon is very difficult. A look at the recent list of winners says it all: 2016: Serena Williams. 2017: Gabrine Muguruza. 2018: Angelique Kerber. 2019: Simona Halep. 2021: Ash Barty. 2022: Elena Rybakina. 2023: Marketa Vondrousova. For the record, there was no Wimbledon in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Past champions have struggled to live up to the hype at Wimbledon and two big names, Rybakina and Vondrousova, couldn’t make it back to the final. Of course, Iga Swiatek, so dominant on clay, had fallen with a thud in the first week itself. So, for a new champion to be unveiled was no surprise on Saturday, though Paolini, the seventh seed, should have capitalised on the momentum shift in the second set. The Italian is not tall, around five feet and four inches. She has the physique to play dominant tennis, but where it appears she is suspect is in her ability to raise her level in crunch situations.
In the French Open final, Swiatek thrashed Paolini in straight sets. On grass, despite the surface being much slower now and the players having a chance to play fluent groundstrokes, Paolini caught the eye. Her court coverage is not natural, but she takes measured steps on grass and reaches the ball in time. Her forehand looked good in the second set, though an exaggerated backswing was a clear indicator that she has honed her skills for a surface with consistent bounce. On some occasions, she was belting the inside-out forehand with a flourish and then relying on her double-fisted backhand for variety.
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The double-grip backhand has many disadvantages on grass, more so when a player is short in stature. Reaching the ball which is zipping leaves the double-handed-backhand player at a disadvantage. Howover much players try and adapt to grass, some things cannot change. But then, who would have thought with the Centre Court ready to egg both players on, that Krejcikova would suddenly show brilliance, in terms of stroke production as well as the mindset designed to close out the tight contest?
It was all about nerves in the third set, where, despite errors, Paolini still had a chance to hang in against Krejcikova. The tension was palpable and errors could be seen from both sides of the court. All it needed from Krejcikova was to make fewer mistakes and ride on the ambience of the great stage to win the final 6-2, 2-6, 6-4.
Emotions and tears – Krejcikova let them flow with her family and the coaching staff after the triumph. For someone who had pleaded with former Wimbledon champion Jana Novotna to guide her fortunes a few years ago, Saturday was a time for Krejcikova to do it for her mentor, who passed away in 2017. Novotna, who once wept on the shoulders of the Duchess of Kent after losing a Wimbledon final (1993), came back to win the title which mattered the most in 1998.
“It’s unreal what just happened,” the 28-year-old Krejcikova said. “This is definitely the best day of my career and my life. It was such a difficult match. I was telling myself to be brave. At the end, I was the lucky one. I didn’t know I could win until the very last point.
“The day I knocked on her door changed my life,” said Krejcikova of Novotna. “I never really dreamed I would win the same trophy she did in 1998.” Sadly for Paolini, holding back tears was not easy. Yes, she is 28, but she has the game and physical strength to win. As Paolini said later, she grew up watching Roger Federer win Wimbledon on TV. Never rule out someone who made two back-to-back finals in Paris and London.
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