‘I think we made history’: Linda Nosková celebrates Wimbledon triumph
Linda Nosková has become Wimbledon champion after defeating fellow Czech Karolína Muchová in a dramatic three-set final. The 21-year-old described the moment as “incredible” and said the two players had made history together. Muchová admitted the defeat was painful but called her run to the final a motivation to keep chasing a first Grand Slam title.
Linda Nosková appeared not to be quite sure what to do with the Wimbledon trophy. After defeating fellow Czech Karolína Muchová 6–2, 5–7, 6–3 in a dramatic final, the 21-year-old was asked how it felt to hold one of the most famous trophies in sport: “I don't know how to hold it, so that's the first thing,” she said.
It was a rare light-hearted moment at the end of an emotional afternoon. Linda Nosková had just won her first Grand Slam title in the first all-Czech singles final in the history of the four major tennis tournaments. But even as she celebrated the biggest victory of her career, much of what she said on Centre Court was directed at the woman she had beaten.
“Karol, you really made me work for it. I will not forget you for this one,” Nosková told Muchová. “I'm so glad that I could play my first Grand Slam final with you.” Then came the sentence that perhaps best summed up the afternoon: “I think we made history today.”
‘A good day for both of us’
The final brought together two Czech players who know each other well and are friends away from the court. Nosková said she believed Czech tennis fans watching at home could be proud of both finalists: “No matter the result today, I think it was a good day for both of us,” she said.
The match itself, however, was anything but comfortable for the new champion. Nosková dominated the opening set and appeared to be closing rapidly on the title in the second. Muchová later admitted that she had started the match slowly, while her opponent immediately found her rhythm.
“Linda started really strongly. Really good serving games, and she played really fast. I was kind of looking for myself,” Karolína Muchová said. But the 29-year-old refused to allow the final to slip away quietly. Facing defeat in the second set, she saved a series of match points as the Centre Court crowd increasingly rallied behind her. “I just wanted to fight for every point. This tournament matters to me,” Muchová said. “I don't want to lose 2–6, 2–6. I was like, I'm going to do everything to try to break her serve and keep my serve.”
The support from the stands helped her believe that the match could still turn. “I felt it. I felt the support. I felt the momentum in the second set, that I turned it around.” Muchová eventually took the set 7–5 and forced a decider. Nosková later acknowledged just how difficult it had been to finish the match. “Today and all these matches have been so tough, so physically and mentally tough,” she said. “Today especially — you know, it's never easy to get the last point.”
Muchová: ‘It slipped through my fingers’
For Muchová, the greatest frustration came at the beginning of the deciding set. After investing so much energy in her comeback, she felt the opening stages of the third set had slipped away. “It took a lot of power and strength out of me to get back in that second set,” she said. “I gave it my all to get back.” Muchová pointed in particular to the first game of the final set. With an advantage, she had an opportunity on her forehand but chose the wrong direction.
“I wanted to go down the line and I hit it back cross-court. And then she smashed it,” she recalled. “If I get that lead, 1–0, it would definitely feel different for me to start it that way.” She was also candid about her overall performance. Despite reaching the Wimbledon final, Muchová felt she had played considerably better earlier in the tournament.
“I think today was one of my worst matches from this tournament. I think I played better in the other matches, definitely.” There were several possible reasons. Her semifinal against Coco Gauff had been physically demanding, and Muchová admitted that she still felt its effects. “I was a little more tired after that match with Coco,” she said. There were nerves, too. “I really, really wanted to win today, so maybe it tied my hands a little bit from the start.”
At the same time, Muchová repeatedly stressed that Nosková deserved credit for making the final so difficult. Her serve in particular proved hard to read. “She's very unpredictable. She's very good on serve, especially today. I really couldn't read where she was going to serve,” Muchová said. “She was playing really bravely and she was going for it. And it was worth it for her.”
Tears, memories and another Grand Slam dream
For Nosková, the trophy ceremony became increasingly emotional as she thanked her family, team and supporters. She joked that her father and other relatives had overcome their dislike of flying to be at Wimbledon. She thanked her coach, with whom she has worked for six years, and then turned to the memory of her mother. “There's also one more person I would like to thank, which is my mom,” Nosková said. “I definitely would not be standing here without her.”
The tears followed. “Guys, I don't cry normally. This is not okay for me.” Nosková said the physical and emotional strain of the previous fortnight had all been worthwhile. “All the sad tears, all the happy tears, all the sweat and blood that went into this — it was all worth it. So I will definitely never forget these two weeks.”
Across the net, Muchová was facing a very different emotional reality. It was her second defeat in a Grand Slam final after losing the French Open title match in 2023. “Definitely sad. And I'm feeling sad as well now. Disappointed,” she said when asked to compare the two experiences.
Yet Muchová also tried to put the defeat into perspective. Before the tournament, she said, she would gladly have accepted a place in the Wimbledon final. “I was in the final. It's still a pretty great achievement. It's still something I would have taken before the tournament.”
And the experience has not changed her ultimate ambition. “It's a dream of mine, it's a goal of mine, to lift that Grand Slam trophy,” Muchová said. “So this is a setback, but also a motivation.” For Linda Nosková, meanwhile, there was one final promise to the Centre Court crowd after an extraordinary two weeks. “I can't wait to come back next year,” concluded the new Czech Wimbledon champion.
