MARKETA Vondrousova caused more Centre Court heartache for Ons Jabeur as she became the first unseeded winner of the Wimbledon women’s singles championship.
The 24-year-old Prague battler joined an illustrious yet small list of Czech Republic left-handers to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish following a 6-4 6-4 victory over Tunisian trailblazer Jabeur.
Marketa Vondrousova collapsed to her knees as she won Wimbledon
Vondrousova has become the first unseeded women’s singles champ
Vondrousova covered her face with her hands as emotion flooded over her
Vondrousova beamed as she lifted the trophy
Ons Jabeur has lost her second Wimbledon final in a row
This time twelve months ago, the world No.42 was not even involved in the Wimbledon main draw and had to watch the action off a TV set.
She was in London last July but only as a tourist while recuperating from wrist surgery and also planning the last details for a wedding, the one-year anniversary of which is on Sunday.
It is remarkable that more than a year after undergoing wrist surgery to clear out some ‘floating bones’ she was here on the big stage, lifting a major title for the first time and falling to her knees in celebration.
And under the watchful eye of nine-time singles champion Martina Navratilova – who famously switched nationalities from the old Czechoslovakia to the United States – Vondrousova became the sport’s first unseeded Grand Slam singles champion since Emma Raducanu at the 2021 US Open.
For Jabeur, this was a horrible Centre Court Reality Czech, the second successive year she had been handed the runners-up trophy by the Princess of Wales.
It is also the third time in five consecutive majors that she had been beaten in the final, having tried but failed to become Africa’s first female tennis champion.
The £100milllion Centre Court roof was shut before the Royal Box patrons took their comfy seats due to the thunderstorm and 40mph winds that were heading for this part of south-west London.
Perhaps if there had been any gusts on court then it would have gone some way to explain the inability of either player to hold their serve.
As it was, in a first set lasting 40 minutes, there were FIVE converted break points, neither individual managing to find the consistency required for a match of this magnitude.
Given the weight of history on her shoulders, Jabeur unsurprisingly looked very tight and rigid on an occasion that lacked quality.
The animated No.6 seed had three break-point opportunities to move 3-1 ahead but was unable to capitalise on those moments, slapping her thigh in anger and frustration.
An unexplainable collapse happened after going 4-2 up with Jabeur losing 16 of the next 18 points as Vondrousova took full advantage.
Jabeur, 28, rallied and improved in the second set, impressively coming from 0-40 down in game two to break back, something she celebrated with a clenched fist.
But it was not the turning point she would have hoped and Vondrousova, who broke back in games five and nine, sealed the triumph with 90 minutes on the clock, falling to the grass in disbelief.
And it is still crazy that Vondrousova only won four matches on grass in her entire career before this tournament.
Vondrousova, who beat five seeded players in the draw, said: “This is an amazing feeling.
“Ons, congratulations. You’re such an inspiration for all of us. I hope you will win one day. You’re an amazing person.
“After everything I have been through, I had a cast on this time last year. It’s amazing that I can stand here and hold this. Tennis is crazy.
“I don’t really know how I did this. The comebacks aren’t easy. You never know what to expect.
“After the second surgery, I was hoping I could come back at this level. Now this is happening.
“This is amazing. Tomorrow (Sunday) is the first anniversary of our wedding. This is the present.
“It’s amazing to have you guys here. I have enjoyed the two weeks so much. It was exhausting. But I am so grateful and proud of myself.
“I made a bet with my coach. He said if I win a Grand Slam he will get one also. I am going to have some beer now because it has been an exhausting two weeks.”
Ons Jabeur broke down in tears during the trophy celebration before saying: “I will try to speak because this is very, very tough. I’ll look ugly in the photos and that won’t help. This is the most painful loss of my career.
“I want to say congratulate to Marketa and her team for this amazing tournament.
“You’re an amazing player. I know you have had a lot of injuries so I am very happy for you.
“It is going to be a tough day for me but I am not going to give up and I will 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.
“To my team, we are going to make it one day, I promise you. Thank you to the fans for the energy. It has been a tough journey. I promise I will come back one day and win this tournament.”
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