Linda Nosková’s Ear-Plugging Tactic: The Unconventional Mental Game Taking Tennis by Storm

This story is part of Peak, The Athletic’s desk covering the mental side of sports.

Linda Nosková had just let slip two match points in the fourth round of the U.S. Open, and the roar inside Louis Armstrong Stadium threatened to swallow her whole. The 21-year-old Czech star did something unexpected: she walked to the baseline, turned her back to the court and her opponent Marta Kostyuk, and plugged her ears with her fingers.

It looked unusual — almost cartoonish, like someone yelling “la-la-la” during an argument. But for Nosková, it was a deliberate mental reset, a tactic she first deployed during the Wimbledon women’s singles final earlier that summer.

A Simple Gesture, a Complex Strategy

Nosková’s coach, Tomáš Krupa, had told her the night before the Wimbledon final to take moments to herself if she needed them during the match. When she nearly unraveled in the second set — wasting five match points against Karolína Muchová — she plugged her ears, blocked out the noise, and took a well-timed bathroom break, ultimately surviving a tense three-setter.

“The crowd was so loud,” Nosková told reporters after her Wimbledon victory. “And it was after the games that I have lost, so I was just trying to be with myself for a little time.”

The tactic resurfaced at the U.S. Open in the third round against American Ann Li on Court 17, where a partisan crowd added to the pressure. Nosková won again in three sets. On Friday, facing Kostyuk — a New York favorite — she repeated the move a third time.

Was it effective? Partly. Nosková lost the second set 7-5 but settled down after another bathroom break before the third set and prevailed once more in three sets.

The Psychology of Blocking Out Noise

For Nosková, the approach is straightforward. Tennis matches are emotional roller coasters, and crowds — especially in New York — are notoriously loud. Without noise-cancelling headphones, she uses the next best thing: her own fingers.

The instinct behind her tactic has a century of psychological backing. Robert M. Yerkes and John Dillingham Dodson argued more than 100 years ago that mental and physiological arousal can improve performance — but only up to a point. Beyond that threshold, too much stimulation becomes detrimental.

Every athlete seeks ways to eliminate distractions, yet few have employed such a literal interpretation. “I feel like those moments, I don’t know if they helped me or not,” Nosková said. “But it was just definitely to keep myself away from all the noise.”

What Comes Next: A Quarterfinal Against Sabalenka

Nosková may need another quiet moment or two on Tuesday, when she faces world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the U.S. Open quarterfinals — her first at this major. The ear-plugging gesture has already become a talking point among fans and reporters alike.

After Nosková’s third-round victory, on-court reporter Blair Henley highlighted the strategy on air. “To sort of get yourself in your own zone, you literally drown out the noise,” Henley observed. “You put your fingers to your ears.”

Nosková laughed and fired back at the crowd. “Thank you, guys. You were not really on my side today.”

Freedom on the Court

Nosková is a powerful ball striker and nimble athlete who has credited her recent success to a growing sense of freedom on the court. That feeling, she said, allows her to make better decisions — sometimes hitting the right shot, and sometimes simply taking a moment for herself and plugging her ears.

In a sport where margins are razor-thin and emotions run high, Nosková’s unconventional approach reminds us that the mental side of competition is as personal as it is universal. What works for one athlete may look strange to the rest of us — but if it helps a 21-year-old from the Czech Republic stay composed under the brightest lights, it deserves more than a laugh.

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