WIMBLEDON champion Barbora Krejcikova has revealed that she was “glued to her bed for days” after her title defence was ended by Emma Navarro in round three.
The Czech star, 29, has suffered with several injury issues since triumphing in SW19 12 months ago.
Determined to try to defend her title, Krejcikova battled through the first two rounds before being beaten 2-6 6-3 6-4 by Navarro.
During the match, the two-time Grand Slam singles champion required her blood pressure to be taken, and was later in floods of tears before serving to stay in the contest.
Following her exit, Krejcikova also withdrew from the women’s doubles event, in which she was partnering Chan Hao-ching.
Opening up on her ordeal, the popular star wrote on Instagram: “This one still hurts…
“Wimbledon will always hold a special place in my heart. Coming back after a 6-month break due to a back injury, my goal was simply to step on the grass and make it through the first round.
“I did that. And I started to feel more like myself again. That’s what made my third round loss so bittersweet.
“I felt great mentally, but during the match, my body just stopped responding. At first, I thought I ate too early but nothing helped, not even during the match.
“Later, I found out it was a viral infection that glued me to bed for days.
“It’s what forced me to withdraw from doubles the next day, something that was incredibly hard.
“I’m proud of how far I’ve come, of the fight I showed, and of the journey back.
“And I’m so grateful for the love and energy from the Wimbledon crowd and the fans. You are truly amazing.
“See you next year, Wimbledon.”
Krejcikova went into her Wimbledon defence as the No17 seed in SW19.
But following her third round exit, her ranking is set to plummet to No77 when Monday’s updated list comes out.
Read the full article here