Tennis-Krejcikova rues bad luck after running out of gas in Wimbledon loss
LONDON (Reuters) -Barbora Krejcikova's run to the Wimbledon third round reminded her how it felt to compete on the biggest stage without being hampered by injuries but in a cruel twist of fate her body let her down and her title defence ended on Saturday.
The 29-year-old Czech was knocked out when she was beaten 2-6 6-3 6-4 by American 10th seed Emma Navarro in a disjointed display where she led by a set and a break but ended up drained in the final set and needing treatment from the doctor.
Tears flowed as she served to stay in the match at 5-3 and she fought on with a hold but the end came swiftly, continuing a frustrating season in which she has been battling a niggling back injury.
"I was enjoying every match that I played here. I was enjoying being on court, being able to play, being pain-free, having some good moments, having some tough situations but overcoming them, enjoying the atmosphere," Krejcikova said.
"I was also really enjoying the position that I was in. Unfortunately, it ended up this way, which is very unfortunate and really sad and disappointing for me."
Krejcikova said that American Navarro was ultimately fitter than her and had more energy when it mattered to take control of the match.
"First of all, I thought that it was the food, that I ate too early. That's why I started with all the bananas and all the sugars and stuff inside," Krejcikova said as she looked to pinpoint the reason for her on-court issues.
"But I wasn't really feeling better, I was actually feeling worse and worse with time on court. It's very sad for me, very unfortunate."
Krejcikova said she would now focus on the North American hardcourt swing with tournaments in Montreal and Cincinnati ahead of the U.S. Open in August.
"I don't know if I'll play something in between," said the world number 16.
"I'm going to drop on the rankings, so I think I will need to play more tournaments to gain some points and to come back."
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in London; editing by Clare Fallon)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
42 minutes ago
- The Star
Cricket-Australia's Green hopes half-century against West Indies can be turning point
(Reuters) -Australia batter Cameron Green hopes his vital half-century on day three of the second test against the West Indies in Grenada can turn around a poor run of form and cement his spot in the top order. Green was promoted to bat at number three for last month's World Test Championship final, his first test in more than a year, but scored only four runs and faced just five balls as Australia were beaten by South Africa. Despite failing to impress, he retained his position for the three-test series against the West Indies, with captain Pat Cummins saying he viewed the 26-year-old all-rounder as a long-term option in the slot. Green had another underwhelming display in Australia's 159-run win in the first test, scoring 18 runs, but contributed 52 on Saturday and combined with Steve Smith for a crucial 93-run partnership that gave the visitors the upper hand in the second match. "You always need innings here and there just to get you back and get you going, hopefully today was certainly one of those. A lot of good things I can get out of just spending time in the middle," Green told reporters. "I think the balls faced has been trending up. The runs haven't been there, but there's certainly little positives I can take out of it. Hopefully, my output can be a little bit better than it has been, but today was a nice sign that things are hopefully trending well. "You all know when you're playing that there's runs that need to be made, certainly when you're batting up the order for Australia. It's a tough game, so being able to bounce back from tough times is equally as important." Australia ended day three on 221/7 with a commanding 254-run lead heading into the final two days of the match, and will look to set an even more daunting target when play resumes later on Sunday. (Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Saad Sayeed)
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Alcaraz vs Rublev, Sabalenka Eyes Wimbledon Glory
CARLOS Alcaraz's charge towards a third consecutive Wimbledon crown faces a tricky test against volatile Russian Andrey Rublev on Sunday. World number one Aryna Sabalenka is the big favourite for the women's title ahead of her meeting against Elise Mertens, while British hopes now lie in the hands of Sonay Kartal and Cameron Norrie. AFP Sport looks at the matches to watch on day seven of the tournament at the All England Club: Win or lose 'in the right way' for Rublev Alcaraz has yet to hit top gear in south-west London after dropping three sets in his three matches en route to round four. Yet, Rublev is aware he has to be at the top of his game to cause an almighty upset and break his curse of never progressing beyond a Grand Slam quarter-final. The world number 14 has reached the last eight on 10 occasions without ever making it to a semi-final. 'You cannot show any weaknesses,' said Rublev on the challenge of facing Alcaraz. Rublev has already enjoyed a much happier time at Wimbledon than 12 months ago when he repeatedly smashed his racquet over his own leg during a shock first-round exit. But he has credited the influence of two-time Grand Slam champion Marat Safin, himself a notorious hothead in his prime, for bringing some calm to his game. 'There are two options,' he added. 'Try to go deeper. Or if I lose, to lose it in a mature, adult way. 'That would be success as well, to lose it in the right way.' Pressure-proof Sabalenka a 'new person' Sabalenka is the only woman left standing of the top six seeds, and is keen to make up for lost time at the All England Club. The three-time Grand Slam champion missed last year's Wimbledon due to a shoulder injury and was excluded in 2022 as part of a blanket ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes. Sabalenka overcame a stern test of her tennis and temperament to end British favourite Emma Raducanu's run in the third round in arguably the match of the tournament so far. After losing control of her emotions in defeat to Coco Gauff in the French Open final last month, the Belarusian said she feels like a 'different person'. She added: 'Whatever happens on the court, you just have to be respectful, you have to be calm, and you just have to keep trying and keep fighting. 'I was just reminding myself that I'm strong enough, and I can handle this pressure.' Kartal enjoying the spotlight After the exits of Raducanu and world number four Jack Draper, Kartal and Norrie are tasked with maintaining British interest. South Africa-born Norrie, a Wimbledon semi-finalist three years ago, will fancy his chances of progressing against Chilean qualifier Nicolas Jarry. Kartal, meanwhile, is enjoying the spotlight after reaching her first ever Grand Slam fourth round, where she will face Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. 'I enjoy it. I think it's an honour. Obviously you've got a lot of attention on you, it means you're doing good things,' said the 23-year-old. 'I feel like I'm going to go out on the court in the next round kind of with nothing to lose at the minute. I'm going to go swinging,' she added.-AFP
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Alcaraz faces reformed Rublev as Sabalenka eyes Wimbledon glory
CARLOS Alcaraz's charge towards a third consecutive Wimbledon crown faces a tricky test against volatile Russian Andrey Rublev on Sunday. World number one Aryna Sabalenka is the big favourite for the women's title ahead of her meeting against Elise Mertens, while British hopes now lie in the hands of Sonay Kartal and Cameron Norrie. AFP Sport looks at the matches to watch on day seven of the tournament at the All England Club: Win or lose 'in the right way' for Rublev Alcaraz has yet to hit top gear in south-west London after dropping three sets in his three matches en route to round four. Yet, Rublev is aware he has to be at the top of his game to cause an almighty upset and break his curse of never progressing beyond a Grand Slam quarter-final. The world number 14 has reached the last eight on 10 occasions without ever making it to a semi-final. 'You cannot show any weaknesses,' said Rublev on the challenge of facing Alcaraz. Rublev has already enjoyed a much happier time at Wimbledon than 12 months ago when he repeatedly smashed his racquet over his own leg during a shock first-round exit. But he has credited the influence of two-time Grand Slam champion Marat Safin, himself a notorious hothead in his prime, for bringing some calm to his game. 'There are two options,' he added. 'Try to go deeper. Or if I lose, to lose it in a mature, adult way. 'That would be success as well, to lose it in the right way.' Pressure-proof Sabalenka a 'new person' Sabalenka is the only woman left standing of the top six seeds, and is keen to make up for lost time at the All England Club. The three-time Grand Slam champion missed last year's Wimbledon due to a shoulder injury and was excluded in 2022 as part of a blanket ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes. Sabalenka overcame a stern test of her tennis and temperament to end British favourite Emma Raducanu's run in the third round in arguably the match of the tournament so far. After losing control of her emotions in defeat to Coco Gauff in the French Open final last month, the Belarusian said she feels like a 'different person'. She added: 'Whatever happens on the court, you just have to be respectful, you have to be calm, and you just have to keep trying and keep fighting. 'I was just reminding myself that I'm strong enough, and I can handle this pressure.' Kartal enjoying the spotlight After the exits of Raducanu and world number four Jack Draper, Kartal and Norrie are tasked with maintaining British interest. South Africa-born Norrie, a Wimbledon semi-finalist three years ago, will fancy his chances of progressing against Chilean qualifier Nicolas Jarry. Kartal, meanwhile, is enjoying the spotlight after reaching her first ever Grand Slam fourth round, where she will face Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. 'I enjoy it. I think it's an honour. Obviously you've got a lot of attention on you, it means you're doing good things,' said the 23-year-old. 'I feel like I'm going to go out on the court in the next round kind of with nothing to lose at the minute. I'm going to go swinging,' she added.-AFP
