LONDON | Lowest ranked champion‘modern history of tennis at WimbledonCzech Marketa Vondrousova is also arguably the least known All England Club winner.
It’s a bit normal because after the Czech reached the Roland-Garros final in 2019 aged just 19, her career was slowed by a series of injuries, some of them very serious.
The 42nd in the world also makes it into the top 10 for the first time on Monday after being the world number one in the juniors.
“I will force it”
But one thing stands out when talking about the left: She has a lot of tattoos. So many that she herself does not know how many are on her body.
Marketa Vondrusova. Photo: AFP
And vondrousova will soon have another to celebrate this great conquest in London. Except that she won’t go alone. His trainer Jan Mertl should also get a tattoo.
“We talked about it before the tournament and he said to me, ‘Yeah, if you win a Grand Slam, I might get one too.’ And that’s when it happened,” said the Czech at a press conference on Saturday.
“I hope he doesn’t give up! I think I’ll force it,” she continued.
Marketa Vondrousova fell to the ground after the match point was played. Photo: AFP
Mertl probably believed that this big moment would not come anytime soon. Because even Vondrousova had come to the All England Club with the aim of just winning “a few games”.
The second time in eight years
Her husband – with whom she will celebrate her first wedding anniversary on Sunday – had not made the trip.
When the champion qualified for Thursday’s finals, they had to come up with a plan to find a handler for… their cat, who’s entitled to “good fish” to celebrate his owner’s great achievement.
While her husband also appeared unremarkable in his box during the game, Vondrousova said she saw him cry for a rare time when she went looking for him after his title was confirmed.
“When I saw him again afterwards, he cried a lot. “It’s the first time he’s shown that much emotion in eight years,” she said, laughing. I think he cried on our wedding day too. But in eight years that’s all!