Barbora Krejcikova paid tribute to mentor Jana Novotna after winning the French Open singles title on Saturday.
The Czech was a complete outsider before the tournament, but she powered through to a 6-1, 106, 6-4 win over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
After the match, she said she found inspiration in her memories of former Wimbledon champion Novotna, who was a close friend yet sadly passed away in 2017, as well as Grand Slam legend Martina Navratilova.
“I just thank Martina Navratilova and all the others and my team and my coach and everyone back home,” Krejcikova said. “It’s hard to put words together.
“l I cannot believe that I won a grand slam. I was going though a had tome when Jana Novotna passed her away, Pretty much her last words to me were “just enjoy and try to win a grand slam.
“Pretty much this whole thing is because she is looking down. She was such an inspiration. I just really miss her and hope she is happy right now. I am extremely happy.
“I just want to thank everyone for coming today and cheering for us. The atmosphere was amazing. I was super happy that I was able to enjoy it. I am just really happy.”
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