“That drop in the rankings wasn\u2019t some kind of crisis, just a direct result of those injuries. Bara is still an incredible player who has the desire to win something big again,” says the former world number five.<\/p>\n
![\"Barbora](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/09c77b0b-e633-4e04-9d9f-95ffd1b41250.jpg\" "\\"Barbora")
Barbora Krejcikova and Jiri NovakMARK EVANS \/ EPA \/ Profimedia<\/p>\n
You\u2019ve been closely following Barbora\u2019s comeback. Did you expect that after those tough months she\u2019d be able to return so quickly and start winning tournaments again?<\/p>\n
“That\u2019s not something you can answer in a single sentence, it\u2019s a longer story. Bara called me a year and a quarter ago, saying she didn\u2019t have a coach and wanted to try working with me. And when we met, I immediately knew I wanted to do it.”<\/p>\n
What did she tell you back then?<\/p>\n
“She was motivated to achieve something big again. There\u2019s no need to talk about her technical and playing skills. She\u2019s already proven to everyone what kind of player she is, with everything she\u2019s won.”<\/p>\n
But there was uncertainty about her health\u2026<\/p>\n
“Yes, with Bara, that\u2019s always the alpha and omega. But we knew that if she stayed healthy, the results would come again. And it was clear. The progress was gradual, she was coming back after a herniated disc, so it took a few weeks, or rather months, before she got back into match rhythm.<\/p>\n
“But already last year in America, things started to look up. She made the third round in Cincinnati and the quarter-finals at the US Open. Then we went to Asia, where she reached the quarter-finals in Seoul.”<\/p>\n
But then in September in Beijing, another injury happened\u2026<\/p>\n
“Yes\u2026 In the third round, she suffered a fracture in her knee. She hyperextended her leg and it turned into a serious injury. So basically, she couldn\u2019t play again. Of course, it was tough for her. First, she didn\u2019t play for half a year, and then again, out of the last 10 months, she missed seven.”<\/p>\n
Still, this year she\u2019s proving her class again. At Wimbledon, she knocked out Mirra Andreeva. Most recently, she triumphed in Athens, just before the Prague tournament.<\/p>\n
“She\u2019s a brutal player. I believe that if she\u2019s healthy, match-fit, and confident, she\u2019ll be a real threat to all her opponents and can definitely win something big again.”<\/p>\n
How tough was the transfer from Greece?<\/p>\n
“Of course, she was a bit worried about how the demanding schedule would affect her body. She did extremely well in Athens, but then the rush began. She finished at quarter to eleven at night, then came the awards ceremony, press conference, and all sorts of things, and if she got an hour of sleep, that was a lot.<\/p>\n