Former world No 2 Barbora Krejcikova admits she loves challenges and noted that “you have to suffer out there” if you want to have a chance against top-ranked Iga Swiatek.
Krejcikova, 27, seems to be the player who has figured out how to beat Swiatek in the finals.
Last year, Swiatek was 7-of-7 in her finals before Krejcikova defeated her in the Ostrava final.
This past week, Krejcikova upset Swiatek 6-4 6-2 in the Dubai final.
Swiatek won Doha without a set lost and she also made the Dubai final without a set dropped – but then she stumbled upon Krejcikova.
“I love challenges. When there is somebody that is really tough, I just love to go out there and see where I am, if I can beat this player, if I cannot beat this player. It just gives me extra, extra push. When you play with Iga, you have to suffer, otherwise you’re not going to win because she’s everywhere. She plays great shots. She likes to play long rallies. So you have to suffer. I don’t mind that,” Krejcikova said, per Eurosport.
Krejcikova has major respect for Swiatek
Krejcikova may have figured out how to play Swiatek but that does not mean that she does not respect the Pole.
After beating Swiatek for her first title in 2023, Krejcikova explained how she has been drawing inspiration from the 21-year-old Pole.
“It definitely means a lot. It was a great week for me, I was improving every single game & today I showed my best. I have so much respect for Iga, to me she is a big inspiration, she motivates me every day. It was a great final & I’m happy with the result,” Krejcikova said of Swiatek after the final.
Krejcikova’s next scheduled tournament is a WTA 1000 event in Indian Wells, which is kicking off on March 8th.
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