Krejcikova, Swiatek, Andreescu ready for uncharted waters at Wimbledon

"Wow."

That was Roland Garros champion Barbora Krejcikova's reaction when she walked into the main interview room at Wimbledon to do her pre-tournament press conference. The new Czech champion turned to the moderator and asked if she could take a photo to memorialize the moment. 

It's not that Krejcikova had never been in Wimbledon's iconic main interview room. She won the doubles title with Katerina Siniakova in 2018 and the duo did their Champions' Press Conference there. 

But this was different. Now a French Open champion and ranked No.17, the 25-year-old is set to make her Wimbledon main-draw debut Tuesday, taking on Danish teenager Clara Tauson. She has played four qualifying matches in the past, but Wimbledon qualifying is played down the road at Roehampton. Krejcikova has never played a singles match at the All England Club.

It's an unusual set of circumstances: a reigning major champion doing pre-tournament press in the main-interview room, at a major she has never played. But navigating uncharted territory is what Krejcikova does.

"I think you can actually see that I feel actually quite nervous," Krejcikova told reporters during Media Day at Wimbledon. "I cannot really put the good words together because all of this is very new and all of this is really exciting and special. 

"Also it's stressful," she said, laughing. "I didn't expect this to happen. Now I'm here."

After her dream run to the French Open title, where she became the first woman since Mary Pierce in 2000 to sweep the singles and doubles titles, Krejcikova returned home to the Czech Republic for some well-earned rest and recovery. Once she returned to the practice court to prepare for Wimbledon, she said her focus was on maintaining a grounded perspective.

"I feel that people see me differently," Krejcikova said. "I think that they have maybe higher expectations and everything. But for me right now, I just feel that I shouldn't put any pressure on myself anymore. I've pretty much achieved everything that I've always wanted.

"I'm just still enjoying that actually I was able to win a Slam in singles. That was something I always wanted. I never really said it out loud because I didn't expect it. Also, I didn't want to put extra pressure on myself.

"Now it happened, so I'm still enjoying that. That's how I approach the time right now."

Krejcikova isn't the only player who returns to Wimbledon navigating a new set of expectations. The last time the gates of the All England Club welcomed fans onto the grounds in the summer of 2019, Iga Swiatek, Bianca Andreescu and Sofia Kenin had yet to become household names as major champions. Now they are three of the Top 8 seeds.

But their success over the past two seasons away from the grass may not necessarily translate immediately to the natural surface. For most players, it takes matches and time to learn how to flourish on the turf. Like Krejcikova, Swiatek and Andreescu are looking for their first wins at the All England Club as well.

"About this tournament and playing for the first time, not really having experience, switching fast from clay to grass, all of this is new, all of this is different," Krejcikova said. "Playing on clay, I grew up on clay, so I like to play on clay. I didn't really have that many matches playing on grass. I've never played here the main draw. Everything is new.

"But I just try to have fun. I just try to enjoy it. I just try to improve. I just feel that so far I really don't know what to do on grass yet. I just feel that I don't really know how to use my shots. I still have some time to find out."

Swiatek has been open about her lack of comfort on the grass. Already with two titles under the belt in 2021, the 2018 junior Wimbledon champion says she's keeping her expectations low given the quick two-week turnaround from Paris and her lack of experience. After all, her first tour-level, main-draw win on grass came just last week in the first round of Eastbourne.

Eastbourne Media Day: Swiatek having a ball on grass

"Even though I'm the seventh seed, I don't give myself more pressure because I know that I don't have experience," Swiatek told reporters on Media Day. She faces Hsieh Su-Wei on Monday in the first round. "I just try to learn as much as possible. I'm aware that I haven't been practicing on grass for a long time because I played finals of doubles on Roland Garros.

"It's an important part of the season, but it's more important for me to learn and not to get any huge results because I think the work that I'm going to do here is going to give effects in a few years. You just need experience on grass basically."

"Maybe my tennis is not going to be as good as on other tournaments, but I'm feeling great and I'm pretty happy to be here and to have the opportunity."

Like Swiatek, Andreescu also just scored her first tour-level, main-draw win on grass last week at Eastbourne. The Canadian star, who is playing just her second main draw at Wimbledon, is seeded No.5. She too is still learning how the different pieces of her creative game fit on grass - the surface neutralizes her higher, deep balls - but Wimbledon remains a special place for her. It's where she made her major debut four years ago.

"I remember when I qualified I was playing super well in the qualifying," Andreescu said. "That was offsite. And then main draw came along, and I was super overwhelmed by everything. I'm, like, 'Oh, my God, I'm playing my first Grand Slam and it's Wimbledon.'

"I got whooped, like, 2 and 2. But I remember coming out of that match just, even though I played like absolute crap, I was just so happy to be there." Andreescu will open her Wimbledon campaign Tuesday against France's Alizé Cornet."

"Enjoyment" was the word of the day at Wimbledon's Media Day. After the tournament was canceled last year, the players are just excited to be back at the All England Club, to wear the all-whites, and revel in the stillness of what many consider to be the most prestigious event on the tour.

"Actually it's kind of nice because I can play without any expectations," Swiatek said. "After all that fuss that was around during clay season, during Roland Garros, as I was playing as the defending champion, it's just easier actually. I'm enjoying it."

As Krejcikova prepares for her Wimbledon singles debut - she is also the top seed with Siniakova in the doubles event - she has received advice from the Czech greats in her corner, like Martina Navratilova and Jan Kodes. They have advised her to take the time to enjoy her success and stick with the work that she's done throughout her remarkable rise.

"For sure when I'm going to go there on court, maybe things will not go well for me," Krejcikova said. "I'm just going to go and fight. I know how to fight. I'm ready for it. 

"For me, doesn't really matter if I'm going to play well or I'm not going to play well. The most important thing is to improve as a tennis player but also as a person. 

"I know if I'm going to fight and do everything that I can, especially mentally, it's going to be victory for me."