Arriving on the Philipp Chatrier court, tennis player Barbora Krejčíková reminisced about the pleasant feeling from last year’s victory at Roland Garros. But he didn’t make it back after the injury. He came out as a lawyer in the first round, and the drops of water that fell on the roof of an overcast Parisian mall symbolized the tears he swallowed after his elimination.
At first, it seemed that Krejčíks’ first game after a three-month break would be successful. She led 6:1 and 2:0 over home team Diane Parry, but in the end she lost 6:1, 2:6 and 3:6.
“I think when I was leading 6:1 and 2:0, I hit the wall. Physically I fainted,” Krejčíková told reporters in English. “That’s because I didn’t play a match which is usually different from training. I tried to prepare myself as best I could, but I fainted.”
The words of the 26-year-old tennis player are confirmed by statistics. He made eight mistakes in the first set, 37 in the remaining two.
He had been treating his right elbow since the second half of February and had not been aware of the problem for six weeks. There is also an operation at play.
“The operation was an option I wanted to avoid. I was looking for another solution. I was lucky it came up,” Krejčíková said. “It occurred to me that I might not make it to Roland Garros, so I’m still happy to be here and playing,” he said.
He decided to return based on feelings. He had been given the green light beforehand by the doctor and could theoretically go to Strasbourg ahead of Roland Garros.
“But I don’t feel ready for tennis. I also have problems with serve, so I decided to give it another week and try it here,” he said. He hoped something would work out in Paris. “I thought I had to start somewhere, and it’s a shame it didn’t move a week, but that’s how it is.”
Although sad to be eliminated, he was at least glad his elbow didn’t hurt during the match. “He’s fine, which is very positive. I’m looking forward to playing more tournaments and improving,” he said. If it wasn’t for Roland Garros, he might have come back later. “But I don’t want to miss this tournament.”
He had a wonderful feeling even before the start of the match. Along the way, he remembered last year’s fame.
“It’s great to go to the center of the crowd, even though it’s quite cold and the roof is cloudy right now,” he told a news conference.
Good thoughts were long gone at that time. He was in tears the entire time during the meetings with the journalists, and after the English part he left for a while to calm down and be able to continue in Czech. “Everything that happened in the last year must have been very positive and I should celebrate it here instead of crying,” he said.
He predicted his return would be difficult. He mainly deals with the state of his health and how to achieve the best possible matches, how to play them and achieve victories.
“Everyone told me it would be difficult, so I knew that,” he said. “But it’s more mentally demanding.”
It will face a significant drop in world rankings. He dropped from second place in the world. “I try not to pay attention,” he said. He also took it positively. “I will be able to play other than major tournaments. Nobody will expect anything from me anymore and I will go my own way again.”
He didn’t leave Paris. He had one more defense. Together with Kateřina Siniaková, they will try to build on last year’s win from the doubles. “I’m looking forward to it and I believe that we will do better than me in singles, we will play the few games I need in this situation,” said Krejčíková.
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