Noskova, an astonishing Wimbledon fightback - and a kiss to the sky

As Linda Noskova stepped up to the baseline, Wimbledon's Centre Court crowd held its breath.

When she led 6-2 5-2 with five championship points against Karolina Muchova, Noskova's nerves had hit, and she found herself dragged to a deciding set.

But this time, on championship point number six, a serve came cracking down that Muchova could barely get a racquet to, the ball trickling away just a few yards along the grass.

Noskova, after a remarkable show of resilience and determination, was the Wimbledon champion.

To recover from the position she found herself in was - in the words of the legendary John McEnroe - "one of the all-time greatest efforts you will ever see on this court".

And there was one person not far from the 21-year-old's mind.

After thanking her family, and with father Drahos watching from the stands, Noskova said: "There's one more person that I want to thank, which is my mum.

"I would definitely not be standing here without you, so thank you."

With tears in her eyes, she kissed her right hand and raised it skywards as the crowd gave her a standing ovation.

Noskova's mother, Ivana, died of cancer on the eve of Wimbledon 2024. Noskova, who was then 19, played on the Monday, and won her first match at SW19.

In an interview with Czech outlet iSport, external in January 2024, Noskova's mother described her daughter as "unflappable".

"She takes after my husband in that regard. She simply doesn't let things bother her," she said.

"Whether it's a break point or a match point, she stays just as calm.

"It's not that she doesn't care - it's just she's able to detach herself from the situation."

It was that inner strength that Noskova drew from on Saturday. She was the better player for the majority of the match but - after Muchova saved three championship points when serving - the tension was obvious.

Noskova only double-faulted twice in the second set - when she served for the title at 5-3 up. Her ball toss went awry, her footwork was a step slower, and she was more agitated, at one point screaming in frustration after a netted forehand.

After being broken on her first attempt to serve out victory, Noskova put her fingers in her ears as she walked back to her chair. After Muchova won the next two games, Noskova hid her head in a towel as her support box sat and watched in silence.

"It was so tense, not just for the players but for the people around me," former British number one Laura Robson, watching on Centre Court, said.

"People are getting their phones out to get the winning moments, and then the phones are going away."

After losing the set, Noskova went off court.

"Iwas in the bathroom. I just splashed some cold water on me, started over again," Noskova said.

"What really helped me [was] 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.'"

When she came back, she saved three break points in her first service game, broke Muchova in the next, and did not look back.

"How about her resilience, her character, her heart?" McEnroe said.

"To find something within, when you've been so close so many times, is pretty awesome to watch."

Petra Kvitova and Martina Navratilova - two Czech greats - watched Noskova's win from the Royal Box and both were in tears as she gave her speech.

Saturday's outcome made Noskova the youngest Wimbledon champion since a then 21-year-old Kvitova lifted the first of her two titles in 2011.

Noskova is also the third Czech player in four years to take the title after Marketa Vondrousova and Barbora Krejcikova in 2023 and 2024.

Noskova joked earlier this week that it was Czech beer that made players so good at Wimbledon, while World Tennis Tour director Andrew Moss told BBC World Service he had asked what "the secret sauce" was.

But there is no secret sauce or special beer. It comes down to tradition and purist coaching methods at grassroots level.

It started with Navratilova, a record nine-time singles champion at the All England Club, who remained an inspiration to those back in her homeland after defecting from communist Czechoslovakia to the United States in 1975.

Her performances inspired Jana Novotna, who inspired Petra Kvitova, who inspired the latest generation of Czech players - including Noskova.

"There's always someone that we can look up to and just say 'if it was them, why not me?'," Noskova said before the final. "It's a tradition at this point."

A long line of winners has left Czech tennis in a healthy place and young upcoming players are given the tools to emulate their heroes.

"There are clubs everywhere in the Czech Republic, every small town has two, three or four clay courts and there is so much more good coaching now," Navratilova said.

"They have lots of tournaments. They play sets when they go to the club - they don't just hit balls, they learn how to compete in singles and doubles, which teaches you to be a better tennis player."