CZECH ACE Marketa Vondrousova celebrated becoming Wimbledon’s unlikeliest women’s winner with beers and tattoos.
Joining an illustrious list of Czech left-handed champions, the Prague battler caused more Centre Court heartache for tearful Ons Jabeur in a 6-4 6-4 win that lacked suspense and quality.
GettyMarketa Vondrousova clutches the Venus Rosewater Dish[/caption]
GettyThe Czech star beat Ons Jabeur 6-4, 6-4 in yesterday’s final[/caption]
The 24-year-old, who will bank £2.35milllion in prize money, is the first unseeded player EVER to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish.
And the first at any of the four Majors since Emma Raducanu’s unexpected 2021 US Open triumph.
This time last year she was recuperating at home after a second wrist operation and the cast only came off for her wedding, which took place exactly a year ago today.
Vondrousova now emulates lefties from her country – Martina Navratilova (who famously changed nationality to the United States) and Petra Kvitova – with this shock result.
The world No.42 – who beat FIVE seeded players in the draw – said: “This is an amazing feeling. I’m so proud of myself.
“I had a cast on this time last year. It’s amazing that I can stand here and hold this. Tennis is crazy. I thought this is the most impossible Grand Slam for me to win.
“After the second surgery, I was hoping I could come back at this level. Now this is happening.
“Sunday is the first anniversary of our wedding. And this is the present.”
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Incredibly, she had won just FOUR matches on grass before this year’s Wimbledon.
Only Martina Hingis (three) had had fewer grass-court wins at WTA events in the Open Era before her breakthrough performance in 1997.
Once all the party-time alcohol has been sunk, coach Jan Mertl must honour a pre-event bet – with a trip to the tattoo parlour.
Vondrousova, who has more tatts than your average Premier League footballer, revealed: “I made a bet with my coach. He said if I win a Grand Slam he’ll get a tattoo also.
“I’ll choose for him. We may get the same one. I’ll make him do it.
“I’m going to have some beer now because it has been an exhausting two weeks.”
To the benefit of Vondrousova’s game, the £100million roof was shut completely for this final because of the 40mph winds that were swirling around this part of south-west London.
Organisers said the decision was taken in “light of the yellow weather warning issued” for the UK.
You would have thought there were gusts in the arena given how neither player could consistently hold their serve.
Across the two sets, which were both 40 minutes in length, there were TEN breaks of serve.
The tension and rigidness in Jabeur’s arm was evident throughout – she also recorded 31 unforced errors – as she tried but failed once again to become Africa’s first female tennis champion.
An unexplainable collapse – perhaps choke is the better word – occurred when Jabeur lost 16 out of 18 points to squander the first set despite being 4-2 up.
This is the most painful loss of my career
Ons Jabeur
Tears flowed down her face as she received the runners-up trophy for the second successive year from the Princess of Wales.
For weeping Jabeur, 28, this was another Reality Czech at the highest level, a THIRD final defeat in five consecutive Slams.
But the trailblazing Tunisian, who can console herself with a £1.2million cheque, vowed: “I promise I’ll come back one day and win this tournament.
“This is very, very tough. I’m going to look ugly in the photos. This is the most painful loss of my career.
“It’s painful because you feel so close to achieving something that you want and actually back to square one.
“It’s going to be a tough day for me but I’m not going to give up and I’ll come back stronger and win a Grand Slam one day.
“It has been an amazing tournament for me. I wish I had been able to continue until the end. I didn’t play good.
“It wasn’t meant to be this time. Hopefully I’ll be like others that failed a couple of times and it will come after.”
AlamyThe 24-year-old has plenty of tattoos[/caption]
GettyJabeur called the loss the ‘most painful’ of her career[/caption] Read More