By Tony Fairbairn At Wimbledon
- Marketa Vondrousova def Ons Jabeur [6] 6-4 6-4
- Marketa Vondrousova admits that winning her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon is ‘crazy’ after beating Ons Jabeur
LONDON, ENGLAND – Marketa Vondrousova admits that winning her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon is ‘crazy’ after she defeated Ons Jabeur to claim victory at SW19.
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Marketa Vondrousova def Ons Jabeur [6] 6-4 6-4
Marketa Vondrousova is the Wimbledon champion after she defeated an erratic Ons Jabeur in straight sets. Vondrousova became the first unseeded player to win the women’s singles title at Wimbledon as she claimed her first Grand Slam title. It was Jabeur who started the more confidently in the first set as she produced some aggressive tennis early on. On the other hand, Vondrousova was passive and nervy as she couldn’t dictate consistently from the backhand side or force the Tunisian into defensive positions. A positive start from Jabeur was secured when she broke early for a 2-0 lead as she was reassured in her game-plan.
However Vondrousova had already been in one Grand Slam final and wasn’t about to be overwhelmed by the occasion as she used a variety of tactics to test Jabeur’s nerve at the net. The former Roland Garros finalist broke straight back as she used angles and drop shots to force the errors from Jabeur.
There was good pace and tempo for the opening set as both players brought their best level in the early exchanges with Jabeur elevating her level on return to break to seal a 4-2 lead. Despite the lead, Jabeur rushed her play as she seemed desperate to finish points early which played into Vondrousova’s hands.
The unseeded Czech Republican not only extended the rallies to frustrate Jabeur but also mixed up her areas of attack to keep the Tunisian guessing. A total of 15 unforced errors came from Jabeur in the opening set as Vondrousova sealed four games in a row to claim the opening set 6-4 in 41 minutes.
Jabeur had only made 44% of first serves in the first set and that poor serving continued in the second set as the Tunisian was broken in the opening game of the second set. A broken Jabeur walked around the other side of the net looking completely broken about what was occurring on Centre Court.
As Vondrousova took a 40-0 lead for a 2-0 lead, a switch flicked in Jabeur’s mind as she decided to hit freely and take risks. The plan worked as she broke back and used a variety of heights and spins to force tactical errors from Vondrousova. Jabeur secured three games in a row as she took a 3-1 lead but the commanding lead didn’t last long. The Czech Republican finished a consistent return game by winning an exhausting rally that was full of slices and spins as Vondrousova broke back in the next game.
The rest of the set saw both players battle for control of the set with both players attempting to slice errors out of the opposition. In the end it was a nervy and despondent Jabeur who committed the fatal error as a backhand into the net gave Vondrousova the critical break of serve at 5-4. Unlike Jabeur, the Czech Republican made no mistake as she sealed a comfortable hold of serve to seal a first Wimbledon and Grand Slam title.
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Vondrousova reveals relief after maiden Grand Slam title
A day to remember for Vondrousova as she captured her first Grand Slam title in a clinical display. The win means she is the first unseeded player in history to win the Women’s singles title at Wimbledon.
After the match Vondrousova admitted it was an ‘unbelievable’ feeling and spoke about the relief she felt when winning the title.
“I think everything is sinking in. It’s unbelievable,” Vondrousova said after the match.
“It was very tough match, and I was so nervous before. I’m just so grateful and proud of myself. I mean, relief. ‘Cause when I was 40-Love up, I almost couldn’t breathe. It’s just like everything is on you. Yeah, I mean, I’m just very happy that I stayed in my head and I just kept it together.
“As I said, I didn’t play well before on grass. When we were coming here, I was like, Okay, just play without stress, just try to win couple of matches. Then this happened. Yeah, I mean, it’s unbelievable. I think nobody would have told you this before when we were coming here that I even have a chance to win. I was unseeded. I mean, it’s such a crazy journey. I can’t believe it still.
“It was really tough in some moments. I think it was just a great match. We had some great rallies. She’s amazing player. She’s amazing person. That was the tough part also. We know each other very well. I’m just very happy that I kept fighting in the important moments.”
It’s been an incredible journey for Vondrousova who was in a cast this time last year but now a year later is Wimbledon champion. The Czech Republican admitted that the journey has been a crazy one and reflected on the route to becoming champion as she had to beat five seeds to win the title.
“Yeah, I had a cast last year at that time. It was impossible. I was watching my best friend here playing qualies,” Vondrousova reflected.
“I was a tourist here. Yeah, when I was coming back, I didn’t know what’s going to happen, if I can play at that level again. Yeah, I mean, this seems impossible. Even, like, I don’t know, on grass I didn’t play well before. I think it was the most impossible Grand Slam for me to win, so I didn’t even think of it. When we came, I was just like, Try to win couple of matches. Now this happened, it’s crazy.
“I mean, when I saw the draw, it wasn’t so easy. I had Veronika, then I had Donna. They played amazing on grass the tournaments before. I was like let’s try. I beat them in two sets. I was like, okay, maybe something can happen here. Yeah, I think I was just, like, open-minded. I didn’t have much stress till today. I think you just have to believe in yourself. I was just trying not to think much about the title and everything. I think you just have to stay, like, focused and in your head, and just have the small circle around you, just do the same things as you always do. Yeah, I feel like anything can happen. This is amazing.”
The Czech Republican will now make her top ten debut which is an incredible ending to an unbelievable story considering Nike and Vondrousova parted ways just over a year ago. Concluding her press conference Vondrousova admitted she doesn’t know what’s next in terms of sponsorship deals.
“I don’t know. Yeah, we’ll see what’s going to happen. I’m just going to talk with my agents and we’ll see what’s going to happen.”
Jabeur admits feeling pressure and stress after defeat
As for Jabeur it’s a third consecutive Grand Slam defeat as the Tunisian’s wait for a Grand Slam title continues. Jabeur hit 31 unforced errors as she was too erratic against a very good Vondrousova under the Centre Court roof.
Speaking after the win Jabeur admitted she felt pressure and stress but praised Vondrousova’s performance.
“Honestly, I felt a lot of pressure, feeling a lot of stress,” Jabeur admitted after her second consecutive Wimbledon final defeat.
“But like every final, like every match I played, I was telling myself it’s okay, it’s normal. I honestly did nothing wrong. I did everything that I could. But, yeah, I think things take time with me. Again, I said it wasn’t meant to be this time. Hopefully I will be like the others that failed couple of times to do it and it will come after.
“I think Marketa played the right match to win this final. Yeah, I’m going to learn from it and hopefully come back stronger.”
Dealing with pressure and nerves is something that comes normal to Jabeur but the Tunisian couldn’t quite convert that composure into her game. Jabeur admitted after the match she made too many unforced errors today and told the media what she did to try to deal with the pressure of being in the final.
“I didn’t play good. I didn’t think I played good today. So many things that I should have maybe done,” Jabeur explained after the match.
“Not serving well did not help. Also Marketa returns every ball. Even if I did a good serve, she was there. That didn’t help my serve much. My backhand wasn’t here today. Again, I think playing two different players the last few matches did not help, too. Yeah, I don’t think I played good, as well. But that doesn’t take away the match that Marketa did.
“A lot of breathing. A lot of positive talks. I tried to tell myself that nothing is over. It’s going to get better maybe. I been used to losing the first set in these last two matches, so I hoped maybe it would be better in the next few games. But obviously not. I don’t know. We’ll keep doing what I’m doing. We’ll keep learning, for sure, because I think that’s the key for me.”
It’s a painful defeat for Jabeur as she had high hopes to win this Wimbledon title after knocking out four Grand Slam champions. However as much as Jabeur said the loss was painful, the Tunisian reflected on the positives of what this run could mean for the future.
“It’s painful because you feel so close to achieving something that you want, and actually back to square one. Again, just try to get rid of these negative thoughts and continue being positive,” Jabeur concluded.
“But it is what it is. Like I said, I cannot force anything right now. It wasn’t meant to be. It wasn’t. Definitely this match, last year’s match, the final of the US Open, will teach me how to win these finals. Will definitely keep learning, keep being positive. I think that’s the thing that will keep me going. Otherwise, if I’m going to be depressed about it, it’s not going to help much. I’ll try to stay positive.
“I think hopefully I will be able to take the confidence out of it and consider myself as a consistent player. Take this experience as good ones, but not bad ones, to continue and improve my game. Be the player that I want to be.
“But I know these things, maybe with me will take years. I will go for it, will put enough work for it. For me, my goal is to be really a good, consistent player and whenever it’s going to come, learn from this match for sure, and hopefully I want to be one of the players that could win Grand Slams.”
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