Krejčíková did not find comfort on clay this year, she is already looking forward to faster surfaces

Update: 30.05.2023 21:24

Paris – While last year tennis player Barbora Krejčíková evaluated the failure in the 1st round of Roland Garros with tears in her eyes, this year she took the same fate with greater perspective. She pointed to her performance as the cause of her defeat with the Ukrainian Lesja Curenko 2:6, 4:6. She told journalists that, unlike last year’s “double”, she did not feel comfortable on the clay and was already looking forward to faster surfaces. Until then, she still wants to succeed in Paris in doubles with Kateřina Siniaková.

“Unfortunately, it didn’t work out. What else can I say about it,” said Krejčíková, who dominated the tournament two years ago in both singles and doubles. “Last year I almost didn’t play on clay because of an injury, and this year I didn’t feel comfortable on it. I had nothing to bounce back from. Today’s match was more about me and my game than about my opponent,” she added.

The thirteenth seed tried to reverse the development in the second set, but did not use the 3:0 lead and lost in less than an hour and a half. She also committed 32 unforced errors. “I knew I wasn’t going to give it to her for free and I would try to find a way to get back into the match. But every time it looked like it would break and I could catch my saliva, I messed it up,” she stated.

The 27-year-old player from Ivančice was eliminated at Roland Garros for the second time in a row in the opening round. Last year, after an elbow injury, she was not good enough for the French Diane Parry. In retrospect, she was therefore glad that she played the match on the smaller court number 7. “Maybe it’s a good thing with today’s performance and the result that they put me away somewhere. And that not so many people saw it,” she joked.

While at the beginning of the year she did well on concrete courts and won, for example, a tournament in Dubai, she played ten matches on clay with a record of 5:5. She reached the round of 16 at the most in Madrid and Stuttgart. “In those two years, I’ve moved completely different, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to play on concrete with the best. I don’t know if it’s better to prepare for clay, or to play well on concrete for the remaining nine months. We have to discuss it with the coach. Clay is up again in a year, now there will be grass and I’m looking forward to it,” she declared.

The previously popular surface is now a problem for her. “Clay erases a lot the differences between players who can do it on concrete and those who are typical clay players who run, lift and return every ball to you. When someone plays like that on concrete, you usually take them apart in two strokes. But here on on clay, the exchanges are longer, which results in more mistakes,” explained Krejčíková.

However, because of the failure at Roland Garros, he does not want to forget the previous months. “We played six months and I can’t say here because of one match that I didn’t go well that the six months were worth nothing. Just one match went wrong, there’s nothing you can do,” she said.

Apart from minor things, he feels healthy and looks forward to moving to faster surfaces. Petra Kvitová and Karolína Plíšková also had similar wishes on Monday after their failures. “For it to come and for it to start writing a little more. When I look back two years ago, I was just splashing, throwing and running. But in those two years, I’ve moved on. I’m playing faster and I’ve improved everything. But rather it applies to concrete and it doesn’t apply to clay,” she pointed out.

He therefore hopes to make up for his impression from the clay part of the season at least in the doubles. From Wednesday, she and Siniakova will be attacking their third Paris title and eighth overall at the Grand Slams. “I mainly hope that Katka is healthy and that her hand no longer hurts. This is the beginning of all success. As we haven’t played together for a long time, the first rounds are difficult, but I believe that she will be fine. And that she will be on the court for me as well more fun. That I’ll catch a better spark and maybe I’ll make the clay again,” added Krejčíková.