"What exactly should athlete win?" - Wimbledon champ Barbora Krejcikova pens strongly worded message after Czech Sportsperson of the Year tennis snub

Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova has penned a strongly worded message after an arguable tennis snub at the Czech Sportsperson of the Year awards.

Czech Republic Sportsperson of the Year is an annual award presented by the Sports Journalists' Club to honor the best athlete and the best team across all sports. The award winner is determined based on votes registered by sports journalists nationwide.

This year, canoeist Josef Dostal was adjudged the winner for the best athlete, finishing ahead of Krejcikova in the polls.

On Friday, December 20, second-placed Krejcikova took to her Instagram story to congratulate Dostal on receiving the award. However, she expressed "mixed feelings" about the poll results as she questioned the criteria based on which the rankings were determined.

"I would like to congratulate Josef Dostal for winning this year's Athlete of the Year poll, as well as the other athletes awarded," Barbora Krejcikova wrote.

"However, I have to admit, that the results of the survey left me with mixed feelings again. I don't understand that if an Olympic medal is a key criteria, why aren't our Olympic gold winners this year in the top three? Instead, is Tomas even seventh? And for what reason did Wimbledon beat the Olympics gold medal a few years ago?"

Krejcikova recalled the poll results in 2021, the year in which the Czech had won the French Open women's singles and doubles titles along with a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Despite her achievements, Krejcikova lost the Sportsperson of the Year award to judo player Lukas Krapalek.

"I had similar feelings from the results of the poll in 2021 when, in addition to the Grand Slam title at Roland Garros in singles and doubles, I won the Olympic gold alongside [Katerina Siniakova], we won the Tournament champion, and even then it was not enough for the overall championship. At that moment, I was wondering, what exactly should an athlete win to deserve this award in the eyes of journalists?" she added.

Barbora Krejcikova's Instagram story on Friday (Source: Instagram - @bkrejcikova)

Barbora Krejcikova secured the Wimbledon title defeating Jasmine Paolini in the final. She also finished as a semifinalist at the WTA Finals. Meanwhile, canoeist Dostal secured the gold medal at the Paris Olympics, winning the men's kayak single 1000m final.

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Barbora Krejcikova calls on sports journalists for "respect" after "unprofessional" comment on her by tennis insider

Barbora Krejcikova at the 2024 WTA Finals (Source: Getty)

Barbora Krejcikova was left furious after tennis journalist Jon Wertheim made an "unprofessional" comment on her physical appearance. The Czech demanded journalists to be more respectable towards players.

In a recent appearance on the Tennis Channel, Wertheim discussed Krejcikova reaching the semifinals of the 2024 WTA Finals. During the discussion, he made a teasing remark about the Czech's forehead.

"What do you think I am? Barbora Krejcikova. Look at the forehead when Krejcikova and Zheng take the court. Eighthead," Jon Wertheim said.

Krejcikova took to X to express her disappointment at the commentary:

"As an athlete who has dedicated herself to this sport, it was disappointing to see this type of unprofessional commentary."

The Czech emphasized the need to address the issue as such remarks were becoming increasingly common in the sports world.

"This isn’t the first time something like this is happening in sports world. I’ve often chosen not to speak up, but I believe it’s time to address the need for respect and professionalism in sports media," she added.

Wertheim later issued a public apology on the matter. The American journalist acknowledged that his remarks were "deeply regrettable."