Linda Noskova’s journey to becoming Wimbledon champion

An incredible run at SW19 finished with the Czech star defeating her compatriot Karolina Muchova in a dramatic final on Centre Court.

She’s now the player to beat on grass heading into the 2027 season and has already confirmed her place at the HSBC Championships for the first time in her career.

We take a look back at how Noskova became the Queen of Grass this year and what makes her so successful on the surface.

The rise of a champion

Growing up in Bystricka in rural Czechia, the idea of becoming a future Wimbledon champion might have seemed like a distant dream, but Noskova’s natural talent and work ethic were obvious from a young age.

Noskova enjoyed a strong junior career, travelling around Europe to play in many of the top international events. She finished runner-up at the famous Les Petites As under 14 tournament in France and was a junior Grand Slam champion at Roland Garros in 2021.

However, during that time, the young Czech never played junior Wimbledon or in any other grass court events. Her experience and skills on the grass would come later in her professional career…

Grass court breakthrough

Noskova didn’t play her first professional tournament on grass until 2023, making her debut at the Edgbaston Priory Club in Birmingham.

She played her first match at Wimbledon just a few weeks later, losing out in the opening round, and returned to the All England Lawn Tennis Club a year later for what would be one of the toughest challenges of her career.

A day before the tournament was scheduled to start, Noskova’s mother sadly passed away. At just 19, Noskova chose to play and won her first-ever title at The Championships, defeating Sara Errani 7-6(3), 6-1.

Despite going out in the second round, her performances left a lot for her and her family to be immensely proud of, and something she would later reflect on after her title run.

A month later, Noskova won her first tour-level title at the WTA 500 in Monterrey and her game was only heading in one direction.

In 2025, she made significant improvements across the grass court season. She reached the quarter-final of the Lexus Nottingham Open, semi-finals in Bad Homburg and the fourth round at Wimbledon. These results were just an early indication of what was to come the following season.

Taking home the trophy at the Berlin Open

Noskova couldn’t have asked for a better start to her 2026 grass court season. Arriving at the Berlin Open as the world No.13, the Czech laid down a marker at the WTA 500 tournament.

She brushed aside Renata Zarazua, Diane Parry and Paula Badosa in straight sets to reach the semi-finals, where she knocked out Lexus Birmingham Open champion Alexandra Eala 6-2, 6-4 to make her first final on the surface.

In the final, she met 2024 champion, reigning Bad Homburg winner, and world No.4 Jessica Pegula. The 21-year-old Czech battled her way to a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 victory to claim her second career WTA singles title and second at 500-level.

The Wimbledon title run

High on confidence after the title run in Berlin, Noskova arrived at Wimbledon with renewed focus and determination to go further than her previous best Grand Slam result – quarter-final at the Australian Open in 2024.

However, things were far from plain sailing. After beating Ella Seidel and Camila Osorio in the opening rounds, she had to save match point against 17^th seed Sorana Cirstea to make it through the fourth. She would become only the third player to win Wimbledon from this position – joining Venus Williams (2005) and Serena Williams (2009).

From there, she recorded a series of impressive victories. She knocked out 2025 Australian Open champion Madison Keys, Belgium’s Elise Mertens and world No.13 Marta Kostyuk, all in straight sets.

In the final, she met fellow countrywoman Muchova in the first all-Czech final in Wimbledon history. It turned out to be one of the most memorable finals in recent memory.

Noskova looked unstoppable as she raced out to a 6-2, 5-2 lead but Muchova came back swinging and reeled off five consecutive games to force a deciding third set.

The 21-year-old missed five championship points before finally getting over the line and winning her first Grand Slam title 6-2, 5-7, 6-3.

In an emotional post-match speech, Noskova dedicated her win to mother. "There's also one more person I would like to thank, which is my mum. I definitely would not be standing here without her, so thank you."