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Barbora Krejcikova expressed her admiration and appreciation for Czech-American tennis legend Martina Navratilova as she wished her a speedy recovery following her cancer diagnosis.
On January 3, 2023, Navratilova shared the disappointing news of her second cancer diagnosis, which included the "double whammy" of breast and throat cancer.
Krejcikova is currently competing in Indian Wells, where she, along with Katerina Siniakova, defeated Laura Siegemund and Beatriz Haddad Maia in the final to lift their second doubles title of the year following their 2023 Australian Open triumph.
During the post-match press conference, Krejcikova was asked about the influence Navratilova has had on her as a Czech role model. Krejcikova acknowledged a generational gap with the former World No. 1 but stated that she knew about Navratilova's success when she was playing as a junior. She expressed gratitude for the chance to have met and become friends with the tennis legend.
"Well, I think there is a generational gap, a big gap, but then on the other hand I definitely knew who Martina was and how successful she was when I was actually playing, when I was a junior. So for me, having the opportunity to meet her and to actually became a friend is a really big thing for me," Barbora Krejcikova said.
The 2021 French Open champion credited Navratilova for playing a significant role in her development as a tennis player, especially in the absence of Czech tennis legend Jana Novotna.
"I really like her, and she also is trying to help me with the development of my tennis. So I can say that for me, yeah, she is a really big, like, guiding light right now after not having Jana here anymore," she added.
The former World No. 2 wished Navratilova a speedy recovery and expressed her desire to see the 18-time Grand Slam champion back around the WTA tour.
"Yeah, I mean, obviously the situation that is happening, it's not good, and, I mean, I wish her all the best," she added. "I wish her, you know, to become healthy again and to be, you know, back again at the tournament, because I think she really loves it. I mean, we are so happy to have her here around and to be able to talk to her."
Barbora Krejcikova expresses happiness at winning maiden Indian Wells title
After losing to Aryna Sabalenka and Elise Mertens in 2019, Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova were very happy to win their maiden Indian Wells title in 2023.
Krejcikova expressed her delight at being able to win the 'fifth slam.'
"Well, I think it's a great feeling. It's definitely a huge tournament. I mean, it's called a fifth slam, so it's definitely one of the tournaments that you want to win. I'm really happy that we were able to do it, because couple years ago we were in a finals, and it didn't work out back then. But now it did," she said in the post-match press conference.
