Marketa Vondrousova: Wimbledon 2023 semi-finalist in profile
Marketa Vondrousova is the least well known of the four Wimbledon 2023 semi-finalists, making the last four alongside No 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka, last year’s beaten finalist Ons Jabeur and her opponent, the popular Ukrainian Elina Svitolina.
Who is Marketa Vondrousova?
Vondrousova is a 24-year-old from Czech Republic who grew up in the west of the country in a sporting family: her maternal grandfather was a national pentathlon champion and her mother was a professional volleyball player.
After a successful junior career reaching world No1, Vondrousova made a quick impact on the senior tour, and made the French Open final aged 19, where she lost to Australia’s Ashleigh Barty in straight sets.
A string of injuries then disrupted her progress, and this Wimbledon semi-final is the closest she has got to reaching her second career grand-slam final.
The left hander is a tricky opponent, with an uncanny ability to reach even the most precise serve on either flank, and an unpredictable game of baseline prowess mixed with cheeky drop shots. Beating Vondrousova requires a lot of mental and physical energy.
She is conspicuous by the unusual tatoos on her arms. “I actually go the first one when I was about 16,” she told the BBC this week. “I got it for my birthday. Then I just started feeling like I wanted more. It’s also art for me, and I appreciate people who do that. I have three or four [tattoo artists] that I’m visiting often.”
Was she expected to do well?
Not really, no. Vondrousova is a talented player who has been as high as No 14 in the world (currently No 42), but she specialises in clay and grass is her most unfamiliar surface. She had previously won only one match at Wimbledon before this tournament.
How has she done it?
With style at first, beating her first three opponents in straight sets. Then came a tight match against Czech No 1 Marie Bouzkova, before another battling quarter-final win over the American Jessica Pegula.
Wimbledon is a place which tends to favour big servers who can use the fast surface to kill points quickly and hold serve game after game. However, Vondrousova has served consistently well through the rounds and her returning talents have forced opponents into rallying for points they might have won cheaply against other players.
Can she go all the way?
She will be the slight underdog against Svitolina in the semi-finals, especially after Svitolina despatched the world No 1 Iga Swiatek, and the Centre Court crowd will pull for the Ukrainian who has won many hearts over the past few months. But if she can beat Svitolina, anything can happen in a grand slam final, where last year’s beaten finalist Ons Jaubeur or the No2 seed Aryna Sabalenka will await.
