Krejcikova entertains fans with Q&A during rain delay

WIMBLEDON — Another day, another rain delay at Wimbledon. But on Tuesday, fans had some extra impromptu entertainment from Barbora Krejcikova. Awaiting the start of her third-round doubles match at a soggy SW19, the Czech took to social media for a quick Q&A session.

Among the highlights? Krejcikova’s love of public transport, her very detailed dream sandwich and the most memorable advice Jana Novotna ever gave her. Read more below

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Environmentally sustainable modes of travel are very important, and Krejcikova’s on board. Asked whether she ever rode České Dráhy — the national Czech railway operator — she couldn’t be more enthusiastic. “I LOVE TRAINS,” she responded. “Seriously, I am a huge fan of public transport.”

Krejcikova didn’t just rep for Czech railways, but did her bit for lesser-known travel destinations. She recommended Ivančice, the birthplace of art nouveau painter Alfons Mucha also known for its annual asparagus and wine festival every May.

For herself, though, Krejcikova’s dream holiday is somewhere a bit further afield: “Alaska, to see bears.”

Tennis players tend to have very strong opinions about food and drink, and Krejcikova is no exception. One stipulation is no milk in her tea, and definitely no coffee, please — and the specificity of her ideal sandwich indicates that she’s spent some time imagining it. “Brown bread, chicken, bacon, cheese, lettuce, cranberries sauce, salt and pepper – all toasted (very important part, I hate cold sandwiches),” Krejcikova wrote.

Meanwhile, her favorite overall foods are steak and sushi, favorite ice cream is lemon sorbet, and when Krejcikova’s in the kitchen she likes to whip up a blueberry cake. One answer will draw the ire of the tour’s Italian contingent, though. Lucia Bronzetti, Elisabetta Cocciaretto and Jasmine Paolini have spent much of this year explaining why cappuccino after lunch is a cardinal sin on Daria Kasatkina’s What The Vlog YouTube series. Pineapple on pizza, which Krejcikova admits to enjoying, might be a bridge too far.

On to some tennis questions, Krejcikova dipped into a childhood memory when asked for her favorite match that she’d seen live: a 2008 doubles encounter featuring Lucie Safarova and Nicole Vaidisova against Dominika Cibulkova, for which she had been ball girl. Her favorite players of all time were more straightforward: Justine Henin, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

As for what rules Krejcikova would change, she has two on her mind. “More time for serve than 25 seconds,” she wrote. “And tbh I am not a fan of grunting, especially when it’s inconsistent, meaning when your opponent start to grunt or grunts louder during key points, it can be disturbing.”

Krejcikova’s own best performances? Unsurprisingly, she highlights her two final defeats of Iga Swiatek, at Ostrava 2022 and Dubai 2023.

One question drew Krejcikova’s most poignant answer of the day. Asked for the main thing her mentor, the late Jana Novotna, taught her, Krejcikova replied: “I don’t have an exact answer to be honest. I still think about her A LOT so she is still teaching me in some way. I think her advices would be more accurate now. But funny thing – she was very keen on me starting to fly in a business class as soon as I could afford it.”