Barbora Krejcikova still loves LEGO ahead of 'fresh' week in Wuhan

WUHAN, China—Remember after her victory at Wimbledon, Barbora Krejcikova took to social media to rally fellow LEGO enthusiasts to create a brick version of Centre Court? While the 28-year-old has been promoting the petition online and racked up quite a few unique LEGO gifts along the way, she’s still waiting for her All England Club keepsake.

In the meantime, she’s still getting her building block fix in other ways.

Read More: Barbora Krejcikova needs your help to get a Centre Court LEGO kit made

Speaking to press ahead of the Dongfeng Voyah Wuhan Open, the Czech player revealed that she’s been keeping busy on the road with brand new LEGO sets inspired by her recent stops on tour.

“I did a lot of sightseeing last year in Beijing, so [this year] I was spending more time in the hotel and the tennis,” Krejcikova said when asked what she’s been up to in China. “I’m a huge LEGO fan, so I went to the LEGO Store in Beijing and got one of the sets there.”

Searching for something that reminded her of China, Krecjikova says she grabbed an Auspicious Dragon and got to work.

In Wuhan, Krejcikova has been hard at work too, hitting the ground running after her early exit to Jaqueline Cristian in Beijing after a “very impressive” high-speed train ride across the country.

With an eye on qualifying for the WTA Finals Riyadh for the first time since 2021, Krejcikova is preparing for her debut at the final WTA 1000 event of the year.

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Although Wuhan is a familiar stop for some players, having returned to WTA Tour after five years, it will be Krejcikova’s main draw debut in Wuhan—a rare “first” for the Czech veteran.

“Every year when I go somewhere, it’s challenging. (Every tournament) usually feels new,” Krejcikova said, adding that she just needed just a few hours to acclimate to the "fresh" new conditions.

“Overall, everything will (happen) on court. And I’ll see how I do and then I’ll like the tournament more or less,” Krejcikova joked. “But everything that I’ve seen so far—the venue, the facilities, the hotel, everything—it was just very ‘fresh’ and so nice.”

The No. 7 seed awaits the winner of Diane Perry and Hailey Baptiste in the second round after receiving a bye. In doubles, Krejcikova has teamed up with countrywoman Marie Bouzkova to face the all-Japanese team of Shuko Aoyama and Eri Hozumi in the first round on Monday.