The small country that reigns at Wimbledon: Nosková wins the women's final
For the first time the final has faced two Czechs, 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 to excite with her style and achievements. These were different times. In fact, she competed as a Czechoslovak until she fled to the United States in 1975, seeking a lifestyle that suited her better. These were the years of the Cold War and for the socialist regime in 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 doubles titles and four in mixed doubles.
Almost half a century after Navratilova's first triumph at Wimbledon in 1978, two Czechs have played the tournament final: Linda Nosková and Karolína Muchová. With Navratilova in the stands, of course. 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 to 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 had three match points at 6-2 and 5-2 up. 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 that the wind was blowing in Muchová's favor, but Nosková refocused, regained control and won the final with authority. (6-2, 5-7 and 6-3).
It is not usually 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 American Williams sisters. But this year, Czech has been spoken. It is not a great surprise either, as in recent years other Czech women 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 central court of 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, really," said a smiling Muchová before the final. Muchová had defeated the two-time Grand Slam champion Coco Gauff in the semifinals, but in the final, she could not distract a very confident Nosková. Two players born in nearby villages in the Olomouc region, just 25 minutes away by car. "It's a success for our country, tennis is very important and we have good clubs and tradition," explained the new champion after defeating Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk in the semifinals. It was not just about the final. In the round of 16, there were four Czech women. "We always have someone competing, setting the path. I think we have shown that we can do great things even though we are a small country. It is important to have role models to admire, people who show you that we can," added the young 21-year-old player.
Muchová, coincidentally, admitted that as a youngster she did not admire past players and that at first she only played for fun. “I didn’t even watch the important tournaments on television. I think I discovered what a Grand Slam is 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 was a football fan, as her father was Josef Mucha, a footballer who played over 200 matches in the First 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 that in the United States. They practice other sports as children and then there is less pressure," explained Navratilova, who twenty years ago regained her Czech nationality and now has a tennis school near Prague. Her legacy still bears fruit.
