(Tennis news) Marketa Vondrouová the No. 42 seed in the world, competing in her second grand slam final, defeated the No. 6 seed 6-4 6-4 on Centre Court to make history. As the gravity of her accomplishment reached her, she collapsed to the ground.
No female player with a lower ranking than Serena Williams did so in 2018, when the American was 181 in the world, and she went on to win the Wimbledon championship. Billie Jean King did it in 1963, becoming the final unseeded female to do so.
Vondrouová visited London as a tourist the previous year while she was still healing from surgery on her left wrist. Seven months after her most recent injury recovery, no one had predicted that she would be playing in the championship match when Wimbledon began. Not even the athlete, whose husband had stayed in the Czech Republic until the final to take care of their cat, Frankie.
However, Jabeur lost to the 24-year-old for the sixth time in this event despite being the fifth seeded player to do so. This was because to the 24-year-old’s unpredictable play, which made it challenging for her opponents to win.
“Tennis is crazy,” said Vondroušová, a former junior No. 1 and runner-up at the 2019 French Open, in her on-court interview. “Yeah, I really don’t know what is happening now, it’s an amazing feeling.”
No matter who of the finalist had won the Venus Rosewater Dish, history would have been made, but the significance of the moment made it harder on Jabeur, who has now lost a second consecutive Wimbledon final, calling this one the most difficult of her career. She had previously lost three important finals.
However, that is what pressure does to a player, especially one who is trying to balance the expectations, goals, and failings of her own self as well as those of a continent as well as a nation. The quest for Jabeur to win a grand slam as the first Arab and African woman continues as a result of her 31 unforced errors. She will probably be troubled for a while by the fact that she only won four out of ten break points.
“I’m not going to give up, I’m going to come back stronger,” she told Centre Court while also wiping away the tears.
Jabeur had numerous opportunities, especially in the opening set, but only converted two of seven break points and committed 17 unintentional errors. She would later rue those statistics once Vondrouová took charge.
After a series of thrilling, protracted baseline fights, the finalist teams traded breaks in the second and third games of the tournament to tie the score at 2-2. Four more breaks occurred in the first seven games as tension increased as their performance was influenced by anxiety.
The unexpected left-handed underdog Vondrouová brilliantly changed up her strategy. She persisted in altering the speed and spin of the ball to eventually win the opening set by gaining the necessary break in the ninth game to serve it out.
The 28-year-old Jabeur was left scratching her head after being broken in the first game of the second set. Her opponent had won six straight games to take the lead.
The change in momentum was unexpected, but Vondrouová has alarmed rivals during the past two weeks. The seeds of uncertainty begin to play with the mind when it is impossible to foretell which shot will come next.
However, tennis is a game where anything can happen at any time. Jabeur, who was 40-0 down on Vondrouová’s serve, broke back to tie the match just as she appeared to be hanging precariously. A nation’s breath grew a little easier as hope was revived. but just for a little bit.
The match remained unpredictable as Vondrouová broke back to take advantage of her opponent’s fear while Jabeur was still unable to deliver the decisive blow on a player who refused to concede.
When the score was tied at 4-4, Vondrouová broke again and served for the match, a backhand volley delivering a famous and well-deserved victory. The crowd was cheering for Jabeur, the incredibly skilled Tunisian who had stated that it was her ambition to win at the All England Club. However, their noisy support was insufficient.
Also read: Carlos Alcaraz defeats Novak Djokovic to win the 2023 Wimbledon
