Marketa Vondrousova became the first unseeded woman to win Wimbledon on Saturday, with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over 2022 runner-up Ons Jabeur in the women's final.
“When I was coming back, I didn’t know what’s going to happen, if I can play at that level again,” Vondrousova to AP. The 24-year-old from the Czech Republic sat out Wimbledon last year after undergoing wrist surgery. She had been the runner-up at the 2019 French Open and a silver medalist at the Tokyo Olympics two years ago before injury interrupted her play. She finished last season ranked 99th. She was 42nd when she arrived at Wimbledon and is the first unseeded woman to reach the final at the All England Club in 60 years.
“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 a couple of matches.’ Now this happened. It's crazy,” AP reported her as saying after the match.
Jabeur, 28, is from Tunisia and the only Arab woman and only North African woman to make it to the singles' finals at any Grand Slam tournament. “You cannot force things," the sixth-seeded Jabeur said, AP reported. "It wasn’t meant to be…. I think this is the most painful loss of my career.”
On Sunday evening, Novak Djokovic, 36, will face Carlos Alcaraz, 20, in the men's singles final. Djokovic is attempting to equal Roger Federer's record of eight titles at the All England Club and match Margaret Court's all-time mark of 24 Grand Slam crowns.
He has won the Australian Open and French Open this year, and is also aiming to complete a men's calendar Grand Slam by winning the Wimbledon final. "It's the ultimate showdown," said Djokovic, who will be playing in a record 35th Grand Slam final, reported AFP. “Everything comes down to one match. All eyes of the tennis and sports world will be directed on this Sunday's Wimbledon final. It's probably the most watched tennis match globally.”
Djokovic can become Wimbledon's oldest champion while Alcaraz is bidding to be its third youngest after Boris Becker and Bjorn Borg. Sunday will be Alcaraz's first Wimbledon final in just his fourth grass-court event. Djokovic is in his ninth championship match at the All England Club.
"This is going to be the best moment of my life," Alcaraz told AFP. "Playing a final here in Wimbledon is something that I dream about when I start playing tennis. It's even better playing against Novak. It's going to be a really emotional moment for me. For Novak is one more day, one more moment."