Marketa Vondrousova beams with the trophy in her hand. © APA/afp / GLYN KIRK

This has never happened before: unseeded player wins Wimbledon

The winner of the All England Tennis Championships in Wimbledon is Marketa Vondrousova. It's a sensation.

July 15, 2023

From: dpa/fop

The 24-year-old Czech, who had already reached the Roland Garros final in 2017, ruined Ons Jabeur's historic victory, who had recently failed in the Wimbledon final, with an unchallenged 6:4,6:4 win after 80 minutes. Vondrousova was number 42 in the WTA rankings before the tournament and is now the first unseeded Wimbledon champion ever.

Even after her third major final, Jabeur still has to wait to win Africa's first ever Grand Slam title. Jabeur remains sixth in the world rankings, left-hander Vondrousova shoots from 42nd place to position 10 and is therefore in the top ten for the first time.

“I don’t know what just happened.” Marketa Vondrousova

Not only is Vondrousova the first unseeded to triumph at Wimbledon, she is also following in the footsteps of her famous compatriots Martina Navratilova, Jana Novotna and Petra Kvitova. “I don't know what just happened. It’s an incredible feeling,” said Vondrousova. Especially after all the injuries she's been through. “Last year I still wore a cast. It’s unbelievable that I’m standing here now, holding the trophy in my hand.”



Jabeur, who is also very popular with the audience and has found many fans with her positive nature, must continue to dream of the first major victory for a player from Africa. “Ons you are an inspiration to all of us, you are an amazing person. I’m sure you’ll win here one day,” Vondrousova had words of comfort for the Tunisian.

Jabeur lost again in the final

Jabeur had previously confessed in tears: "It's really very hard for me, I'll look pretty ugly in the pictures," she joked. “This is the most painful defeat of my career.” And yet she remained very sporty: “Congratulations Marketa and her team on this great tournament. I know you've had a lot of injuries, so I'm really happy for you." She promised her fans that she wouldn't give up and would come back stronger. As a “consolation”, she also received 1,175 million pounds (1,37 million euros).

Ons Jabeur couldn't hold back her tears. © APA/afp / SEBASTIEN BOZON

Jabeur had previously gotten off to a better start with a break to make it 2-0, but he himself conceded the break to make it 1-2. The Tunisian was also unable to capitalize on a 4-2 lead. When Vondrousova took the favorite's serve to make it 5:4, the Czech didn't let this lead be taken away from her. With zero, she converted the 2:4 into a 40:6 after 4 minutes.

There were also breaks on both sides in the second round. In the first five games, only Jabeur served her serve, but she was unable to maintain a 3-1 lead. The serve then continued into the ninth game, the left-hander from Prague took the serve from Jabeur to make it 5:4 and then used the second match point after 80 minutes.

Vondrousova's tattoo bet

For Vondrousova, it was also perfect timing in her personal life: her husband Stepan Simek, who flew in for the final, can now celebrate their first wedding anniversary with his wife - and as Wimbledon champion.

Aside from the celebration of the victory, her coach Jan Mertl is less pleased. Because Vondrousova, who is covered in tattoos, had a bet if she won a major title: Now Mertl has to get a tattoo too. “We'd best do that tomorrow,” she said mischievously on the court. And she also wants to celebrate the title in other ways. “Maybe with a few beers, those two weeks were really exhausting.”