When a 28-year-old Barbora Krejcikova won her maiden Wimbledon singles title last year, it felt “unreal” to her. Winning a slam always evokes special feelings and for her it was “the best day of my career and my life.” In front of a packed Centre Court, the Czech bested Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in a 3-set showdown (6-2, 2-6, 6-4). And guess what? The World No.16 is making sure this season that she repeats her milestone from 2024. At the ongoing grass major, she’s already entered the third round, while boosting chances for a second Venus Rosewater Dish trophy. While she’s making the efforts on the court, a key figure has been by her side off it. He’s none other than her dependable coach.

Krejcikova’s current coach is Pavel Motl. Ever since he joined Krejcikova as her main trainer in 2023, she’s been on the rise. Her Wimbledon triumph is a solid proof. But who is he exactly? Well, Motl is a former Czech tennis player. Born in September 1997, he’s a native of Brno, Czech Republic. His parents brought him his first tennis racket on his 9th birthday and that’s when he started pursuing the sport. At the age of 14, Motl began training at the Sparta Prague. Later in 2018, he moved to the United States for studying. From 2018 to 2023, he was busy in college tennis for the Middle Tennessee State University. He eventually graduated in the year 2022, with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from MTSU. He also received a Master of Science in Sport Management from the same university a year later. As a tennis player there, he went on to win four consecutive Conference USA championships (2019 to 2023).

Speaking of his tennis career, Motl ended up clinching a ranking of 101 on the Junior ITF circuit. He won one singles and four doubles titles as well. Later, he also competed in the qualifying draws of the ITF Men’s World Tennis Tour in 2015. There, he earned his only ATP ranking point from one main draw victory at a Futures event in Jablonec nad Nisou. In his ATP career, he earned the best ranking of 1,887. At 19, he sustained a wrist injury. As a result, he opted to quit tennis but kept playing in college. But how did he end up becoming Krejcikova’s coach? Well, the two have known each other since childhood. In fact, they trained together for years before the WTA star turned pro. After his graduation, Motl opted to join her camp. He first traveled with her on tour at the Cincinnati Open, in August 2023, after she parted ways with former coach Ales Kartus.

Under his tutelage, Krejcikova began showing great potential. In September 2023, she won the San Diego Open after defeating American Sofia Kenin in the final. A month later, she succeeded in reaching the final at the WTA 125 event in Zhengzhou. In January 2024, she managed to enter the quarterfinal of the Australian Open. She replicated this performance in Abu Dhabi as well.

But the biggest moment of her tennis career arrived few months later at the All England Club in July 2024. In the final encounter, Krejcikova bested Paolini to clinch her second singles slam. Apart from their professional relationship, however, the two also share a closer bond according to speculations.

Coach Pavel Motl is Barbora Krejcikova’s rumored boyfriend

Last year, speculations began floating online regarding Barbora Krejcikova’s connection with Pavel Motl. Especially after she held a Q&A on her social media account. During Wimbledon 2024, she was about to play a doubles match with her teammate, Germany’s Laura Siegemund. However, their quarterfinal battle got delayed due to rain.

While waiting for the match to kick off, Krejcikova opted to have some fun and interacted with her fans. One of them was intrigued by her closeness with Motl. So they eventually asked, “Will Pavel propose to you if you win Wimbledon? 🥰”

The Czech didn’t give a specific answer but dropped some exciting hints. She simply replied, “Pavel says he hasn’t thought about it yet but he thanks for the idea!” After her Wimbledon triumph, she later came up with a similar response as well.

In yet another Q&A, she was later asked, “Are you and Pavel a couple?” Giving a cheeky response, she asked them back, “What do you think?” The fan immediately responded, “Yes because love always wins.” To this, Krejcikova came up with a cryptic reply, using a GIF. It said, “I guess we’ll never know now…will we?”

While their relationship status still remains unofficial, what does Motl think of Krejcikova? Speaking during a previous interview, he revealed, “She’s (Krejcikova) a real fighter, but she can be stubborn. Sometimes it’s hard to work with such a character, sometimes it’s easy,” But then he made an honest confession on working with her. According to him, she’s “very smart” and “very experienced.”

It will be interesting to see if their partnership with yield another Wimbledon victory for Krejcikova. As of now, she’s gearing up for her third round encounter against America’s Emma Navarro on Saturday. It will be their maiden face-off on the WTA level. Do you think the Czech will clear this hurdle and keep her campaign alive at the grass major? Let us know in the comments below. Also, do check out EssentiallySports’ minute by minute update of the Championships on our Live Blog