Marketa Vondrousova was only 19 when she sailed into her first Grand Slam final. After losing to Ashleigh Barty at Roland Garros in 2019, it seemed that going forward there would be more major opportunities.
But her left wrist, the very fulcrum of her forceful game, could not sustain the stresses of professional tennis. After multiple surgeries across three years, she struggled to find her game or any sense of rhythm.
Coming into Wimbledon, most of the attention (deservedly so) was focused on defending champion Elena Rybakina, French Open champion Iga Swiatek and Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka. Vondrousova? She returned to the All England Club for the fifth time with only a single win here to her credit.
Wimbledon reaction
And now, in the narrow window of a fortnight’s time, she’s won seven in a row. The last came Saturday, a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Ons Jabeur for the title.
It’s difficult to overstate how ridiculously unlikely this run to the title was. Vondrousova, ranked No.42 among Hologic WTA Tour players, is the first unseeded and second-lowest ranked player to take home the Venus Rosewater Dish in the Open Era.
She’ll enter the Top 10 on Monday, and the overarching question is this: Can she maintain this level of success?
“If she stays healthy, I think Top 10 is sustainable,” nine-time Wimbledon champion Martina Navratilova texted after the match.
Like Vondrousova, Navratilova plays left-handed. Like Vondrousova, she was born in Czechoslovakia, which became the Czech Republic. Navratilova had a terrific vantage point, sitting beside her wife, Julia Lemigova, in the Royal Box.
Navratilova also pointed out health will be critical. When she’s at 100 percent, Vondrousova has proved difficult to beat.
It’s impossible to know how Vondrousova’s career will play out given the history of recent first-time champions is decidedly mixed, but Rybakina might be a good comparison for Vondrousova.
Rybakina was 23 years old and coincidentally ranked No.23 coming into last year’s Wimbledon. And while she already had a big game, she wasn’t on anyone’s radar as a favorite.
Not only did she win her first major, against Jabeur in the final, but Rybakina backed it up by getting to this year’s Australian Open final and winning titles in Indian Wells and Rome. Defending her title this year, Rybakina won the first set against Jabeur before losing in three sets. Rybakina is now the No.3 player in the…