Barbora Krejcikova made the case for her inclusion in what would be considered the 'Big Four' on the WTA circuit with Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina the other three.
The three players mentioned above have certainly been the three best players when you look at the way they performed this year but Krejcikova is not far away. She won one major trophy this year and she beat Iga Swiatek in the final so technically she has been the 4th best tennis player so far this year.
If you add the doubles results in there then it's an even more compelling case. She talked about it in Miami:
"When I read something on social media, it's about Iga, Aryna, and
Elena -- I'm not really there. What else should I do? How should I prove it again? This week, again I'm here and I'm going to prove it again
so that I get into this Top 3. I want to be mentioned as well. I want to
be recognized as well because I think I deserve it. I've had a lot of
success on the tour and I just don't get the credit."
For her, the exclusion of her name in any conversation regarding the best players this year is a big motivating factor:
"It's a big motivation. I don't want to be
forgotten somewhere in the shade of these three big players. They are
playing well and are playing great, but I feel I'm playing well as
well. I feel like I deserve the recognition from the media and I'm not
getting it. I guess I just have to win more matches and prove to
everybody that I'm there as well."
She'll have a really good chance of proving it by taking on Sabalenka next at the
Miami Open:
"I'm very excited. She's on top of the game right
now. She's the last Slam champion. Her tennis is really interesting and I
like to play against her because her shots are one of the fastest ones
and the same with her serve and return. She's very aggressive."