The small country that rules at Wimbledon: Nosková wins the women's final
For the first time the final has faced two players from Czechia, a country from which three of the last four champions have emerged
BarcelonaIt probably all started with Martina Navratilova. She was the first Czech tennis player who thrilled with her style and her successes. Those were different times. In fact, she competed as Czechoslovakian until she fled to the United States in 1975, seeking a lifestyle that suited her better. It was the years of the Cold War and for the socialist regime of Prague, it was a low blow. But above politics, Navratilova planted a seed in the Czech Republic. She did so especially with her achievements at Wimbledon, where she won the singles title on nine occasions. Half of the 18 Grand Slam titles she won were on the grass of the All England Club in south London, where she also lifted seven more titles in doubles and four in mixed doubles.
Almost half a century after Navratilova's first triumph at Wimbledon in 1978, two Czech women have played the tournament final: Linda Nosková and Karolína Muchová. With Navratilova in the stands, of course. The young Nosková, 21 years old, has won in three sets against Muchová, 29 years old. It was Muchová's second Grand Slam final, having lost in Roland Garros in 2023 against the Polish Iga Swiatek. Today she had to fall to a very calm and focused Nosková who only lost her composure at the end of the second set. The final seemed destined to be decided very quickly, as Nosková enjoyed three match points at 6-2 and 5-2 in her favor. But Muchová reacted and achieved her first break in a game that lasted more than 10 minutes. After saving a total of five match points against her, Muchová strung together five consecutive games won and took the second set. It seemed like the wind was blowing in Muchová's favor, but Nosková refocused, regained control, and took the final with authority. (6-2, 5-7, and 6-3).
It is not common for two women of the same nationality to compete for a Grand Slam title. At Wimbledon, this had not happened since the 2009 final between the Williams sisters, who are American. But this year, Czech has been spoken. It is not a big surprise either, as in recent years other Czech players had already won at Wimbledon. Jana Novotná and Petra Kvitová did it twice, and Markéta Vondrousová and Barbora Krejcíková once. And now Nosková has done it against Muchová. Two players who had never won a Grand Slam title and who have taken it upon themselves to continue the Czech tennis love story with the Centre Court at Wimbledon, where three of the last four champions have been Czech. And in 2021, Karolína Plísková lost in three sets to the Australian Ashleigh Barty.
“What is the secret to our success? I don't have an answer. No idea, honestly,” Muchová said with a laugh before the final. Muchová had defeated the two-time Grand Slam champion Coco Gauff in the semi-finals, but in the final, she could not distract a very confident Nosková. Two players born in nearby villages in the Olomouc region, just a 25-minute drive apart. “It's a success for our country, tennis is very important, and we have good clubs and tradition,” explained the new champion after defeating the Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk in the semi-finals. It wasn't just about the final. In the round of 16, there were four Czech players. “We always have someone competing, someone who leads the way. I think we have shown that we can achieve great things even though we are a small country. It's important to have role models to admire, people who show you that we can,” added the young 21-year-old player.
Muchová, curiously, admitted that as a young player she didn't admire players from the past and that at first she only played for fun. “I didn't even watch the major tournaments on television. I think I discovered what a Grand Slam was when I was a teenager,” she explained. In her case, it may have had a lot to do with the fact that everyone at home loved football, as her father was Josef Mucha, a footballer who played over 200 matches in the top division. Both Muchová and Nosková played different sports as children, until they focused on tennis, taking advantage of a network of clubs and coaches that have made Czech women's tennis a powerhouse. 20% of the current top ten female players in the world are Czech, a country of less than 11 million inhabitants. "I think the way girls train in the Czech Republic is different from in the United States. They play other sports when they are young and then there is less pressure," explained Navratilova, who regained her Czech nationality twenty years ago and now has a tennis school near Prague. Her legacy continues to bear fruit.
