Wimbledon champ Barbora Krejcikova raises Emma Raducanu problem as she’s put on the spot

Barbora Krejcikova believes it was easier to win her second Grand Slam than Emma Raducanu because the Brit started so young. The Czech No.31 made her Major breakthrough aged 25 at the 2021 French Open – and has now beaten Jasmine Paolini at Wimbledon.

Raducanu triumphed at the 2021 US Open just three months later at the age of 18 – and is now set to return to the top 100 after reaching the fourth round here. Asked about the difficulties faced by young Grand Slam winners such as Raducanu and Naomi Osaka, Krejcikova told L’Equipe: “It must have been hard for Emma to win a Grand Slam so young with the expectations and all that.

“Me, I was 25 and it was good timing. I was able to manage it and carry on having good results and got to be No.2 in the world (February 2022) “You have to be able to be a leader. Some have that in them. Others are followers. “We sometimes have the impression that agencies decide who is going to be a leader. Some take it on, but that can kill others. But I ask myself: do we worry about the quality of tennis or your status on social media?”

Krejcikova is the eight consecutive different women’s singles winner at Wimbledon. But her performances in Grand Slam finals are more predictable as she has won 12 out of 13 with seven women’s doubles and three mixed doubles titles. “It definitely helped me also for my singles matches,” she said. Seven of the doubles titles came with Katerina Siniakova who won her third Wimbledon title with Taylor Townsend. The two Czechs will re-unite at the Paris Olympics.