Vondrousova conquers Wimbledon and postpones Jabeur’s dream – 07/15/2023 – Sport

Marketa Vondrousova, 24, became this Saturday (15) the youngest Grand Slam champion. On the Wimbledon court, the Czech won the Tunisian Ons Jabeur, 28, by 2 sets 0, and also prevented the opponent from reaching the unprecedented consecration.

Number 42 in the WTA ranking (Women’s Tennis Association) overcame number six and the favorite in the final with a partial double of 6/4.

It was the second time that Vondrousova played in a Grand Slam final. In the first, in 2019, she was defeated at Roland Garros by Australian Ashleigh Barty.

The Czech tennis player, who reached the top of the rankings in the junior category, became a sensation on the professional circuit after making a Grand Slam final for the 1st time at just 19 years old.

At the time, she ended up surpassed by Belinda Bencic. In her gallery, Vondrousova still flaunts a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

In addition to rivals on the court, she also had to overcome a history of injuries before enshrining herself in Wimbledon. The Czech needed surgery on both wrists, which added to problems with her left elbow after the Roland Garros tournament in which she was a finalist.

Raised in a family of athletes, with her mother a professional volleyball player and her grandfather a national pentathlon champion, Vondrousova also drew attention for an unusual feature among tennis players on the circuit, when she displayed tattoos on both arms.

“It’s also art to me, and I appreciate the people who make it. I have three or four [tatuadores] which I visit often,” she said in an interview with the BBC.

She still doesn’t know if she’s going to get a tattoo in honor of her career at Wimbledon. But her walk alone is memorable. She advanced with wins over four seeds, Veronika Kudermetova, Donna Vekic, Marie Bouzkova and Jessica Pegula. In the semifinal, she beat former top 3 Elina Svitolina.

By defeating the Tunisian in the decision, she will receive 2,000 points in the WTA ranking and a cash prize of 2.35 million pounds sterling (R$ 14.7 million). With the title, she is now among the top ten in the world. When the WTA updates its list, on Monday (17), the Czech will be number 10 in the ranking.

The runner-up will earn 1,300 points and a prize pool of 1.175 million pounds sterling (R$ 7.3 million). With that, Jabeur will keep sixth place on the list.

The first African and Arab to shine in the world tennis elite, Ons Jabeur was also looking for her first Grand Slam title. It was the third time she had reached a decision. The two previous times, she was defeated at Wimbledon by Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, and then was beaten by Poland’s Iga Swiatek at the US Open, both in 2022.

“This is very, very difficult,” acknowledged the Tunisian. “I think this is the most painful defeat of my career,” said the teary-eyed tennis player, who aspires to be an example for women and girls in her country and across Africa.

“It’s going to be a tough day for me today, but I won’t give up and I’ll come back stronger,” he said.