LONDON — As Linda Noskova left Center Court for a short break after missing five championship points in the second set of the Wimbledon final, she paused for a moment to look at the two trophies awaiting the post-match ceremony.
Within minutes she was picking up what mattered.
The 21-year-old regrouped after Muchova erased a 5-2 deficit in the second set, recovering to win 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 to claim her first Grand Slam title.
“The first step I took off the court, the trophies were there,” she said. “I thought: I won’t take the small one, I’ll take the big one. I was so close to it. This will probably be the heartbreak of my life.”
Rewind to round three. Noskova had already lost three of her previous four meetings with No. 17 Sorana Cirstea before squandering a 4-2 lead in the deciding set. Facing match point at 5-4, she snatched a cross-court backhand – not a clear winner, but close enough – to stay alive before walking away with a 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(9) victory.
“I just refused to lose the match,” Noskova said after defeating Cirstea. “I told myself that this will never end, obviously the last point always decides.”
A year earlier, Wimbledon had a completely different meaning for Noskova.
She was only 19 at the time, but Noskova arrived at the All England Club as one of the game’s brightest young prospects, having made her presence known a few months earlier by being upset by then-numbered. 1 Iga Swiatek on his way to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. But the day before the start of the championship, her mother Ivana died of cancer. Noskova decided to participate in the competition and advanced to the second round.
She rarely spoke publicly about the loss or what it took to return to the tournament where it happened. But after winning Wimbledon on Saturday, Noskova looked to the sky and dedicated the title to her mother.
“One more person I would like to thank is my mom,” she said. “I definitely wouldn’t be standing here without her, so thank you.”
Noskova was born in Bystritská, a village of about 1,000 people in the eastern Czech Republic, into the family of a railway worker, Dragos, and a saleswoman, Ivana. She credits her rural upbringing surrounded by forests and mountains with developing her passion for environmental issues. When her tennis talent became obvious, Ivana took temporary work cleaning and laundry to finance her daughter’s development.
Noskova’s path, from humble beginnings to Wimbledon champion, was anything but ordinary. Even speaking to the Czech media after the final, she admitted that the scale of her achievement had not yet been fully realized.
“My whole journey has been a little different,” she told them. “My life was never set in stone.”
Still reeling from the biggest moment of her career, Noskova later spoke to wtatennis.com at the All England Club to reflect on her title win, her mother’s influence and what comes next.
When you told the Czech press that your life was never set in stone, what did you mean?
Noskova: My life was never meant to unfold this way. I was never raised to be a “Grand Slam champion.”Even saying this is still very surreal. I feel like the main point is that I’m not always overconfident. I’m at least, I would say, down to earth because I wasn’t raised that way.
My parents and my family have always been very supportive of my journey. but they were not the main planners of this entire journey. They always wanted me to have a good, joyful life, and if it was at school or on the court, they would be happy.
You and Caroline said that you are tired of being asked about the secret of Czech tennis. But I’m curious if one of the reasons for this success is that young players in the Czech Republic grow up believing in tennis – a sport in which anyone can succeed, not just those from wealthy families.
Noskova: Sometimes I feel like an outsider – and I am. Again, because I shouldn’t have been here in the first place.
It seems to me that all our travels were very different, for me and for other Czech tennis players. But there’s one thing that I think we have in common: we can just look at history. I think the fact that our country is so small means that we get to see big legends. and crowns and champions, and I think: “If they won, then why not me?” Do you know why not us?
In Rome, you said that one of your motivations was that sport could take you to different places, especially in terms of your passion for environmental issues. Has it dawned on you that being a Wimbledon champion will open many of these doors for you?
Noskova: Yes, I feel that this will be the path I choose. It definitely helps me off the court. I’ll try to put it to good use. IIt won’t be anything too materialistic.
You said this week that finishing in the top 10 was never the goal and that growing up, Wimbledon was just another tournament. At what point did these dreams become real goals?
Noskova: I think winning my first title was one of the most important steps. At some point you have to realize this if you want to really do this and want to get to these places and these moments. The whole journey is never easy, but these are the moments for which I play tennis. And when I saw that the trophy was being prepared for just one of us, I thought, “I’m not going to let this go.”
After the semi-final you mentioned that you have too many superstitions to list. What’s your list?
Noskova: There was matcha that my friend brought to my room every morning. Same shower, same bathroom, same sink. I always had to get a towel from one place. I had to wear flip-flops or shoes and the warm-up was the same every day.
But I really hope that I will get rid of all this and start a new tournament anew.