"Didn't expect to be accused like this, felt really humiliated" - Barbora Krejcikova on Garbine Muguruza's comments after their USO 4r match

Roland Garros champion Barbora Krejcikova was bundled out of the 2021 US Open by second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka on Tuesday. During her post-match presser Krejcikova expressed her disappointment at the loss, before also responding to Garbine Muguruza's comments about her from the previous day.

Krejcikova had eked out a tough win over Muguruza in the fourth round, beating the two-time Major winner in two close sets. The eighth seed had initially gotten off to a 6-3, 4-0 lead and looked on course for a straightforward victory, before Muguruza turned things around and reeled off five consecutive games to lead 5-4 in the second set.

The Spaniard then proceeded to generate three set points as Krejcikova served to stay in the set, but the Czech staved them off with some inspired play. That effort took a lot out of Krejcikova, prompting her to take a medical time-out while trailing 5-6.

Garbine Muguruza called Barbora Krejcikova unprofessional after their match

The set eventually went to a tiebreaker where Krejcikova seemed fresh again, as she comfortably closed it out to advance to the quarterfinal. Muguruza, however, was visibly annoyed at the end of the match, as evidenced by her cold handshake at the net.

The Spaniard even called Krejcikova "unprofessional", before insinuating in her post-match presser that the Czech didn't know "how to behave".

In that context, Barbora Krejcikova was asked on Wednesday to give her thoughts on Garbine Muguruza's reaction. The 25-year-old called Muguruza's comments "pretty negative", before claiming she felt "really humiliated" by the Spaniard's cold handshake after watching the match replay.

"I would say I guess it was pretty negative, but that's the way it is," Krejcikova said. "I mean, I didn't expect it because I wasn't in a - I don't know how to say it. I just didn't expect that I'm going to be accused like this. Also I was watching a little bit at the end of the match so I knew what was actually happening."

"I just felt right now that I got really humiliated by a Grand Slam champion, which I've never seen," she added.

Barbora Krejcikova further clarified that she was struggling with severe cramps during the closing stages of the match, and that she felt "really, really bad" on the court.

"It's tough. I mean, I'm sad about it because, to be honest, when I step out of the court, it took me actually one hour to get to the locker room," Krejcikova said. "I was in really bad shape. I was just, like, cramping. I felt really, really bad. I never experienced something like this, something from behind the scenes that nobody knows and nobody has seen."

"I really loved the crowd. I think they've been giving us a really good atmosphere" - Barbora Krejcikova on fans at the US Open

When asked about her experience of playing at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, Barbora Krejcikova replied that she would've been very happy about it if not for her physical issues. That said, the Czech did praise the local fans for their unbridled support for her during the fortnight.

"I would say that I really enjoyed it until the moment today, not really being in a perfect shape," she said. "Also the match before where I had some medical difficulties. Unless all these things happened, I really enjoyed it out there."

"I really loved the crowd. I think they've been giving us a really good atmosphere," she added. "Every time they have been clapping or calling my name, it just gave me a lot of positive energy. I just wanted to give it back to them with the fight."