Noskova, an astonishing Wimbledon fightback – and a kiss to the skyFigure caption, Tearful Noskova dedicates Wimbledon title to late motherByAmy Lofthouse and Emily SalleyBBC Sport journalists at WimbledonPublished17 minutes agoAs Linda Noskova stepped up to the baseline, Wimbledon’s Centre Court crowd held its breath.When she led 6-2 5-2 with five championship points against Karolina Muchova, Noskova’s nerves had hit, and she found herself dragged to a deciding set.But this time, on championship point number six, a serve came cracking down that Muchova could barely get a racquet to, the ball trickling away just a few yards along the grass.Noskova, after a remarkable show of resilience and determination, was the Wimbledon champion.
To recover from the position she found herself in was – in the words of the legendary John McEnroe – “one of the all-time greatest efforts you will ever see on this court”.
And there was one person not far from the 21-year-old’s mind.
After thanking her family, and with father Drahos watching from the stands, Noskova mentioned: “There’s one more person that I want to thank, which is my mum.
“I would definitely not be standing here without you, so thank you.”
With tears in her eyes, she kissed her right hand and raised it skywards as the crowd gave her a standing ovation.
Noskova’s mother, Ivana, died of cancer on the eve of Wimbledon 2024. Noskova, who was then 19, played on the Monday, and won her first match at SW19.
