An Unlikely Champion Wins the French Open, and Thanks a Mentor

Barbora Krejcikova developed her multifaceted game with the help of the former Wimbledon champion Jana Novotna, who died in 2017.

PARIS — Hand pointing to the sky, the new French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova gave credit where she knew it was due on Saturday. “I hope she’s happy,” Krejcikova said of Jana Novotna, the former Wimbledon champion who died of cancer in November 2017. In Krejcikova’s view, all of “this” — the surprise run to a Roland Garros title — would not have happened without Novotna’s influence on her career at a critical phase: the transition from juniors to the much more selective professional game.