Barbora Krejcikova has spoken up to defend herself after her opponent on Sunday, Garbine Muguruza, accused her of being “so unprofessional” during their post-match handshake at Arthur Ashe Stadium after Krejcikova defeated Muguruza to advance to the US Open’s quarterfinals. Krejcikova says she felt “humiliated” by the two-time former Grand Slam champion.
“I mean, I just know what she told me at the net,” Krejcikova said, via Tennis Magazine editor Ben Rothenberg. “I don’t know what was happening after. I just tried not to look at it.”
Muguruza’s ire stemmed from Krejcikova taking a medical timeout in the second set for a diaphragm issue; Krejcikova had been up 4-0 but Muguruza stormed back to take a 6-5 lead when Krejcikova took the medical timeout. After that, Krejcikova won seven straight points, and further aggravated Muguruza by moving slowly in between points.
Krejcikova, the no. 8 seed in the tournament, said that she didn’t expect these accusations. “I just felt right now that I got humiliated by a Grand Slam champion, which I’ve never seen,” she said. “It’s tough. I mean, I’m sad about it because, to be honest, when I step out of the court, it took me actually one hour to get to the locker room. I was in really bad shape. I was just, like, cramping. I felt really, really bad.”
Krejcikova was defeated 6-1, 6-4 by the no. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka in Tuesday’s quarterfinal match.