How Noskova became the Queen of Wimbledon: Embracing grass and a kiss to the sky

[p]Wimbledon is a deeply emotional tournament for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/noskova-linda/zHMiAkw6/"]Nosková[/a]. When she headed there for the second time in 2024, she was going through a very difficult period. Shortly before her departure, her mother, Ivana, who had been by her side throughout her tennis journey, passed away.[/p][p][b]"I want to thank my mom as well. Without her, I definitely wouldn’t be standing here now,"[/b] she said shortly after her triumph, sending a kiss to the sky. In her box, she still had the support of her father, who wasn’t afraid to show his joy.[/p][embed guid="60904c7a-b093-4f5e-bb6b-59e4d9f234ae" url="https://x.com/Wimbledon/status/2076019614375366865?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]The final itself was also mentally demanding for Nosková. On the other side of the court stood another very close person. She and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/muchova-karolina/Or4Qa1ye/"]Karolína Muchová[/a] had played doubles together at the Olympics and train together regularly. [b]"We’re friends. I’m really glad I played my first Grand Slam final against you. Today, we made history,"[/b] said the native of Vsetín, visibly moved. And when Muchová began her speech, she lightened the mood with the words: [b]"So, first, about my former friend..."[/b][/p][p]But the road to the title started much earlier.[/p][h2]Key Moments[/h2][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/cirstea-s-fBPsm3Iq/noskova-l-zHMiAkw6/?mid=ClIK2xfB"]Noskova vs Cirstea 2-6, 6-3, 7-6[/a][/b][/p][p]This fairytale could have ended as early as the third round. Nosková faced Romanian veteran [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cirstea-sorana/fBPsm3Iq/"]Sorana Cirstea[/a], who looked much more confident at the start and led 4-0 in the first set. The match was ultimately decided in the third set, where the Romanian was just one point away from advancing at 5-4. But Nosková saved everything with a cross-court shot and took the match in the tie-break. Thanks to this moment, she made history—only three players have ever won the Wimbledon title after saving a match point.[/p][embed guid="30955a9b-6e87-4641-8a53-34334cca8839" url="https://x.com/OptaAce/status/2075997732758540483?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/mertens-e-Y1ZrrUtl/noskova-l-zHMiAkw6/?mid=KQkmFCJD"]Noskova vs Mertens 6-4, 7-5[/a][/b][/p][p]What looked like a convincing win over the Belgian grass-court specialist actually had plenty of drama. Nosková was a set up in the round of 16, but couldn’t secure the win in the second set for a long time. She finally converted her sixth break point. And it was in this match that she activated her most effective weapon - her first serve. From the round of 16 onward, her first serve percentage never dropped below 70%.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/muchova-k-Or4Qa1ye/noskova-l-zHMiAkw6/?mid=pGyvP4BC"]Noskova – Muchová 6:2, 5-7, 6-3[/a][/b][/p][p]The final battle seemed one-sided for a long time; at 6-2, 5-2, Noskova started making errors, and five saved match points by her compatriot Muchová turned the match into a thriller. After losing the second set, Nosková returned from the locker room determined. She found her lost rhythm, saved three break points, then broke back and, with aggressive tennis, didn’t let her slightly more experienced rival turn the match around.[/p][h2]Key Numbers[/h2][p][b]21: [/b]Linda Nosková became the youngest women’s singles champion at Wimbledon since [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kvitova-petra/0vypNf1t/"]Petra Kvitová[/a] won in 2011. It’s symbolic, too, as Kvitová was her idol growing up. Nosková is the fourth youngest player to win the grass-court Grand Slam (after [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sharapova-maria/GU1e3xjd/"]Maria Sharapova[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/williams-venus/M7dojKaa/"]Venus Williams[/a], and Kvitová herself).[/p][embed guid="baef7b7c-5a44-489a-a919-6373ded8bae7" url="https://x.com/OptaAce/status/2075997741457523060?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]12-1: [/b]This is Nosková’s record on grass courts in 2026, making her the best player on this surface on tour. She also became the fourth player this century to win two titles (Berlin and Wimbledon) on grass in a single season. Including last year, she has an outstanding record of 20–4.[/p][p][b]71[/b][/p][p]Even though Linda Nosková’s path to the title seemed very convincing, the Czech player lost 71 games over seven matches. That’s the second-highest number in history. Only [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/krejcikova-barbora/2FyACZYi/"]Barbora Krejčíková[/a] worked harder in 2023.[/p][embed guid="358af65a-1468-4e29-a01c-838474c36e76" url="https://x.com/OptaAce/status/2076008107537248575?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Noskova turned her very first Grand Slam final appearance into a title, and a star was seemingly born on the Wimbledon grass. Previously, the young Czech had made her mark mainly on hard courts and spoke hesitantly about grass. In fact, until 2024, she had only won four matches on it. But in recent weeks, she’s shown that this surface suits her very well.[/p][p][b]"She used to say she didn’t really like playing on grass, but her tennis is dangerous in every way, and she’s learned to move very well on it,"[/b] noted Czech national team captain Barbora Strýcová before Wimbledon began. Nosková then fully confirmed her words in London. Her successful game was no longer based just on her serve, but also on unexpected drop shots and the reliability of her strokes.[/p][p]And beyond that, she’s becoming more and more confident among the world’s absolute elite. After Wimbledon, she climbed to seventh in the WTA rankings. With her performance and energy, she’s shown she has the potential to climb even higher. [b]"I’ll never forget these two weeks. I can’t wait to come back,"[/b] she said in her farewell.[/p][infobox id="e4d8200d-597f-48d7-83c2-d394f1217426" /]