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Marketa Vondrousova received a warm welcome from fans as she returned to her hometown following her 2023 Wimbledon triumph.
Marketa Vondrousova lifted her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships on Saturday, July 15. The Czech defeated repeat finalist Ons Jabeur in straight sets 6-4, 6-4. This was her second try in the final of a Major, after a failed attempt at the 2019 French Open, where she succumbed to Ashleigh Barty.
Vondrousova, now at a career-high ranking of World No. 10, was ranked World No. 42 during her Wimbledon campaign. She thus created history by becoming the first-ever unseeded woman in the Open Era to clinch the Venus Rosewater Dish.
In the days following her historic accomplishment, the Tokyo Olympic silver medalist returned to her hometown of Sokolov in the Czech Republic. She was warmly received by a large number of fans, who were present to celebrate her outstanding glory. They cheered her on as she gave her speech. Marketa Vondrousova later thanked her compatriots for their heart-warming gesture.
“Unreal, thank you,” she wrote on her social media.
Marketa Vondrousova’s run at Wimbledon included victories over Peyton Stearns, Veronika Kudermetova, Donna Vekic, Marie Bouzkova, Jessica Pegula, Elina Svitolina and Ons Jabeur. In her post-final press conference, the 24-year-old agreed that she was given a tough draw, but stated that she remained optimistic regardless.
“I saw the draw, it wasn't so easy. I had Veronika, then I had Donna. They played amazing on grass the tournaments before. I was like, let's try. I beat them in two sets. I was like, ‘Okay, maybe something can happen here.’ I think I was just open-minded. You just have to believe in yourself,” she said.
The 2023 Wimbledon Championships is only the World No. 10’s second singles title on tour. Her maiden title came way back in 2017, when she won the Ladies Open Biel. Vondrousova had accumulated three tour-level runner-up finishes since, including the 2019 French Open.
"The Czech Republic is the greatest female tennis country" – Rennae Stubbs showers high praise following Marketa Vondrousova's Wimbledon win
With the win, Market Vondrousova etched her name among the greatest tennis players to be born in the Czech Republic.
The country has a long history of immensely successful female tennis players, including Grand Slam winners and finalists such as Petra Kvitova, Karolina Muchova, Karolina Pliskova, Barbora Krejcikova, Barbora Strycova, Helena Sukova, Jana Navotna and Hana Madlikova.
Martina Navratilova, a record-holding nine-times singles champion at Wimbledon, who represented the United States, also hails from the Czech Republic.
Serena Williams’ former coach Rennae Stubbs was ecstatic about Marketa Vondrousova’s Wimbledon triumph further solidifying the country’s dominance in tennis.
"The Czech Republic is the greatest female tennis country we’ve ever seen! Think about the population & size & the amount of great players it’s produced! Martina, Hana, Helena, Jana, Petra, Karolina, Barbora, Muchova, Marketa, Strycova! I could go on but u get my point!" Rennae Stubbs tweeted.
