LONDON : Linda Noskova feared she was heading for the biggest heartbreak of her career after letting five championship points slip away in the Wimbledon final, but the 21-year-old Czech regrouped to beat compatriot Karolina Muchova 6-2 5-7 6-3 and claim her maiden Grand Slam title on Saturday.
The ninth seed appeared to be cruising towards victory when she led 5-2 in the second set, only for Muchova to save three match points on serve before Noskova squandered two more opportunities, including one with a double fault.
Muchova reeled off five straight games to force a deciding set, leaving Noskova visibly shaken as she headed off court for a comfort break.
A glimpse of the Wimbledon trophies on her way to the locker room helped change her mindset.
“I was just telling myself that the match is starting over. I was in the bathroom. I just splashed some cold water on me, started over again,” Noskova told reporters.
“But what really helped me, like the first step I took off court, the trophies were there. I was like, I’m not going to take the small one, I’m taking the big one.
“I have been so close. This will probably be the heartbreak of my life.
“I was looking at the big one. I was like, I’m taking this one no matter what. I’m going to leave my soul on court.”
Noskova returned to hold serve in the opening game of the final set before rediscovering the form that had carried her to the brink of victory.
She broke again before serving out the match at the second attempt, more than an hour after holding her first championship point.
“Let’s say I’m brave enough to say that the third set would not have been the same if maybe I would have lost the first game,” she said.
“I lost five games in a row in the second one, so it was very, very important to start off great.”
Noskova became the third Czech woman to win the Wimbledon singles title in the last four years and the youngest champion since compatriot Petra Kvitova won her first title in 2011.
Her composure under pressure reflected the maturity that has defined her rise on and off the court.
Noskova lost her mother, Ivana, to cancer two years ago and has spoken openly about how the experience shaped her perspective.
During last year’s off-season she volunteered at a school in Zanzibar, saying the experience made her appreciate what she had.
“When I came back, I was definitely more appreciative of everything that I have,” she said earlier this week.
Raised in a village surrounded by forests in the Czech Republic, Noskova has also spoken about her passion for environmental causes and her desire to continue volunteering after her tennis career.
“I’m very much like a nature lover, I want to do some volunteering with nature in the next months or years. I have always been very active during whatever crisis,” she said after her semi-final victory over Marta Kostyuk.
For now, however, the new Wimbledon champion is focused on enjoying the biggest achievement of her career.
“It was all worth it, so I will definitely never forget this week, these two weeks,” she said.
