Hana mandlikova

Barbora Krejcikova: After making her first Wimbledon singles final, emotional Barbora Krejcikova paid tribute to her late mentor Jana Novotna, after a come-from-behind win over Elena Rybakina in the semifinal.

When Krejcikova was making the transition from juniors to pros, she and her parents visited the four-time Grand Slam singles finalist Novotnaat her home for advice, according to WTA.

"I worked with Jana Novotna (the late 1998 Wimbledon champion). She told me a lot of stories about her journey here and how she tried to win. She is definitely my inspiration. I fight for every single ball because I think that’s what she’d want me to do. I just miss her so much," said Krejcikova in her on-court interview.