The Wimbledon tennis tournament witnessed a Czech final. What is behind this success?
Czech women conquered the world's most prestigious tennis tournament. From the duo Karolína Muchová and Linda Nosková, the 21-year-old native of Vsetín ended up being the happier one. "I hope all supporters from the Czech Republic are proud of us," said Nosková shortly after the final match to millions of fans watching the television broadcast.
After Barbora Krejčíková triumphed at Wimbledon two years ago and Markéta Vondroušová the year before, an even greater Czech sensation occurred this time. In the final, two of our players faced each other - Karolína Muchová and Linda Nosková.
Two friends and partners thus became rivals fighting for more than one hundred million crowns. With a 2:1 win in sets, the 102 million crowns are taken home by the younger one. The runner-up Muchová will be entitled to half of that amount.
“Wimbledon is the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world and at the same time one of the most watched sporting events overall. Participation in the final means a huge increase in the media value of both players, and media value is one of the main factors that determine their attractiveness to sponsors,"
said to ČTK the head of the Department of Sports Management at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport at Charles University, Jan Šíma.
His statement is also agreed upon by tennis legend and Czech native Martina Navratilova.
"I'm telling you, Czech women at Wimbledon are showing what they can do. It's insanely good,"
noted Navratilova for BBC.
Czech Mate
This time, the Wimbledon organizers created a special graphic for both finalists, featuring a chessboard where they move on both sides, with the caption "time for their move." The phrase "Czech Mate" can also be a pun for "checkmate." It was certainly not accidental.
An all-Czech final took place at the tournament for the first time in separate history. In 1986, Hana Mandlíková and Martina Navrátilová competed here for the title, though Navrátilová was already representing the United States. The last Czechoslovak final at a Grand Slam was in 1989 at the Australian Open between Ivan Lendl and Miloslav Mečíř.
Nevertheless, Czech players feel at home at this tournament. When Vondroušová won three years ago, British royal family member Princess Kate inquired about how players from the heart of Europe could be so successful.
Here are several reasons: the national tennis association organizes tournaments for children as young as five, who play on smaller courts with smaller rackets. This gradually reveals talented players. The vast majority of the most promising ones are then at national centers in Prostějov and in Prague clubs Sparta and I. ČLTK from the age of 16. During the transition from the junior category to adults, it is also important that our tennis players can earn points for the world ranking at ITF tournaments and challengers at home in the Czech Republic.
Linda was helped by Martina Hingis's mother
In the case of this year's Wimbledon winner, an additional factor was that she comes from Valašsko, the same region as Melanie Molitor, the mother of tennis player Martina Hingis. It was Molitor who contacted Linda's family early in her career and confirmed her talent. The young player started traveling to Switzerland once a month to work with her, primarily on stroke techniques.
Nosková, who surprisingly for many comes from a train dispatcher's family, made her debut in the finals of a "big four" tournament this time. Her biggest achievements so far included winning the junior category of the French Open in 2021. She became the fourth Czech to conquer the Junior Roland Garros and the first since Hana Mandlíková's victory in 1978. The young tennis player also represented the Czech Republic at the Summer Olympics in Paris, where she and Muchová finished fourth in doubles.
It Needs Better Marketing
And what will be the future of both tennis players? Due to her longer career, Muchová currently still holds a stronger position, having her own professional website and more followers on social media. On the other hand, Nosková, who is seven years younger, has greater potential as she can further develop her career and her ability to gain more visibility. And winning Wimbledon undoubtedly contributes to this.
Alongside long-term sports results, the personality of the athlete, their ability to communicate with the media and fans, an attractive life story, activity on social media, and overall media visibility play a significant role. It is the long-term marketing potential that is a key criterion for many partners when deciding on sponsorship collaboration. And Nosková's team needs to work on this.
The key will fortunately still be primarily tennis itself. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for both players. They certainly deserve it.
Sources: author's article, ČTK, BBC, Wikipedia
