Barbora Krejcikova is set to take part in the WTA finals in Riyadh after winning Wimbledon earlier this year.
Krejcikova will feature in this year’s WTA Finals, despite being ranked 13th in the world.
The top eight players in the WTA rankings qualify for the event in Saudi Arabia unless someone ranked lower has won a Grand Slam title during the year.
Krejcikova won Wimbledon this July, securing her spot at the year-end finals, where she will face off against top stars Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, and Coco Gauff, amongst others.
It wasn’t her first Grand Slam title however, as the Czech star won the French Open back in 2021, as well as seven Major doubles titles with her partner Katerina Siniakova.
However, her preparation for the final tournament of the year was interrupted when Krejcikova suffered a back injury at the Ningbo Open in China.
Questions had been asked as to whether the 28-year-old would be fit for the WTA Finals, but the star has recently taken to social media to update fans on her health.
Barbora Krejcikova handed injury boost ahead of WTA Finals
After retiring from the Ningbo Open quarter-finals through injury, Krejcikova has only just stepped back onto court in her preparations for the WTA Finals.
The star took to Instagram to give a fitness update to her fans.
“First practice since my retirement in China,” she said.
“I’m glad my back has been better today, and I hope it will keep getting better.”
The 2024 Wimbledon champion went on to thank her fans for their support during her recovery.
“Thank you for all your support,” said Krejcikova.
Can Barbora Krejcikova win the 2024 WTA Finals?
Krejcikova will head to Saudi Arabia as one of the big underdogs, being ranked lower than all seven of her opponents at the event.
Despite winning two Grand Slam titles in her career, neither were on hard courts, which the WTA Finals are set to use.
Her biggest hard-court title win did come against one of her WTA Finals opponents however, as she beat Swiatek in straight sets to take home the title in Dubai back in 2023.
Krejcikova’s success against the rest of the field is slightly more varied, however.
- Barbora Krejcikova 1 – 6 Aryna Sabalenka
- Barbora Krejcikova 2 – 2 Iga Swiatek
- Barbora Krejcikova 1 – 0 Coco Gauff
- Barbora Krejcikova 2 – 0 Jasmine Paolini
- Barbora Krejcikova 3 – 0 Elena Rybakina
- Barbora Krejcikova 1 – 1 Jessica Pegula
- Barbora Krejcikova 0 – 1 Qinwen Zheng
Having a losing head-to-head against just two of her opponents is quite a promising sign, however, her one-sided rivalry with Sabalenka could cause issues for the Czech star if she faces off against the world number one.
The WTA Finals is set to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from the 2nd November.
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