Former Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova said she is dealing with fatigue on the Tour after crashing out of the US Open on Sunday.
The 27th seed was beaten 7-6(4), 6-2 by Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova. The defeat caps off a disappointing year for Krejcikova at Grand Slams. She has lost in the first round in three out of her last four played, which is the most she has suffered during the same season in her career.
To add to her woes, the Czech has failed to win a match at three consecutive tournaments. As for the reason behind her lull in form, Krejcikova told Czech media that it is due to a ‘combination of factors,’ with one particular issue bothering her.
“The whole US tour didn’t go well for me. I’m just not in the best frame of mind,” she said.
“Of course, I have an explanation. We’ve discussed it a lot internally, and it’s a combination of several factors. The biggest one is probably that my batteries are flat.
“It’s been plaguing me throughout the whole US tour. Although we’ve been preparing, training and working hard to improve, it hasn’t worked out in a single match.”
As for her current fitness, Krejcikova stated that she is not suffering from any injury issues. Earlier this year, she was sidelined between February and May with a left thigh injury. In the past, she has also been troubled by a back injury.
“I just fought hard (against Rakhimova). That’s probably the positive thing I can take away from this. That even when the energy isn’t there, I managed to fight and tried to turn it around somehow,” she reflected.
“I haven’t suffered any major injuries. We’ve been able to train, and I didn’t pick up any injuries during those matches either. That’s another positive I’m glad about, even though it’s hard to find anything positive right now.”
Krejcikova was defending 430 points in New York after reaching the quarter-finals last year. She could exit the top 40 in two weeks’ time depending on the performance of other players.
