Linda Noskova is the newest Wimbledon champion, having battled through immense adversity to see off her compatriot Karolina Muchova in the final.
At one stage, though, it really threatened to be a complete blowout.
The elder of the two finalists struggled to get a grip on the match, as her forehand uncharacteristically misfired time and time again.
However, when it came time for Linda Noskova to close it out, she stumbled. Muchova saved five championship points, and a match that had once seemed dead and buried roared back to life.
This likely only made her eventual win after three thrilling sets even more satisfying, with it now revealed exactly what she did off court in between the second and third sets.
What Linda Noskova did after seeing the Wimbledon trophy after she lost the second set
Speaking live on ESPN, Caroline Wozniacki shared some crucial insight. She stated: “It’s a lot to have to go back into the locker room, kind of put water in your face and then coming back out and try and win that third set after having so many missed opportunities.
“And at 21 years old, that is just so impressive that she was able to put all of that behind her and come out and play as aggressively as she did there in the third set, and you could tell she decided, all right, if I ever get to that point again, I’m just going to go for it.”
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“One thing that I found so impressive as we heard from Mary Joe, and she said, after the second set, she walked in kind of where the trophy is standing, and she looked at it, she stared at it for a moment, and then she came back and was like, ‘I’m gonna grab it.’”
Then, just moments later, Noskova was interviewed. Asked to expand on that break after the second set, and what she was thinking when looking at the trophy, the 21-year-old confirmed Wozniacki’s suspicions.
“I’m gonna get this trophy,” she stated. “No matter what. I’m gonna, you know, leave all my power, all my strengths on court, and I’m gonna lift this anyway.”
Noskova had a kind message for Muchova during her on-court interview, with both players fighting back tears as they reviewed this iconic final.
Karolina Muchova was so close to creating history in the Wimbledon final
Whilst Muchova will naturally depart Centre Court full of sadness, she can feel somewhat vindicated knowing that she gave her all.
A limp 6-2, 6-2 defeat, which is what it looked like it might be, would not have been indicative of the supreme competitor she is.
That being said, at one stage, it really felt like she would be the one to take the title.
After all, having saved five championship points, broken Noskova, and then served out the second set, the scores were all tied.
Had she gone on to win the third set and the Wimbledon title, Muchova would have overcome Jennifer Capriati as the player to have saved the most match points in a major final and gone on to win the title.
She saved four during the 2002 Australian Open.
