The first non-breed singles champion in Wimbledon history, where did it come from?

On the evening of July 15, the 2023 Wimbledon women's singles final ended, and Wanzhuosova defeated No. 6 seed Abdul-Jabbar 2-0, becoming the first non-seeded player to win the Wimbledon women's singles title in the Open era. Before that, Wandrosova had won only one of her four Wimbledon appearances.

The name Wandrosova may sound a little unfamiliar, but in fact, this Czech girl has been famous for a long time. At the 2019 French Open, 19-year-old Wanzhuosova reached a Grand Slam final. It's just that in recent years, Wanzhuosova has been plagued by wrist injuries, and the game has been stopped and stopped.

Wandrosova kisses the champion trophy. Photo: Xinhua News Agency

The Czech girl was only 42nd before the tournament

At this Wimbledon, the initial attention of the outside world was mostly focused on Swiatek, Lebakina, Sabalenka, Abdul-Jabbar and others, and no one would notice the Czech girl Wanzhuosova, who was ranked 42nd in the world. After all, before this, Wandrosova had participated in Wimbledon four times and had only won once. Wandrosova also admitted that her grass results were not good, "I always thought that this (Wimbledon) was the least likely place for me to win a Grand Slam. ”

But as the game progressed, Wandrosova managed to attract everyone's attention, and the Czech girl eliminated Kudmetova, Vickić, Pegula and other seeded players on the way to the cut. Last night's final against No. 6 seed Abdul-Jabbar saw Wanzosova win two 6-4 victories, having already beaten three times this season after playing at the Australian Open and Indian Wells at the Australian Open at the year.

As a result, Wanzosova became the first non-seeded player in the Open era to win the Wimbledon women's singles title. At No. 42, she is also the world's lowest-ranked Wimbledon women's singles champion since the WTA introduced the ranking system. Tomorrow, Wanzosova will be in the top 10 in the world for the first time. "It's been a crazy ride." Wanzhuosova laughed and said that she was only a non-seeded player and no one would have thought before the match that she would win the title.

While Wandrosova ushered in the most brilliant day of her career, Abdul-Jabbar suffered another day of disappointment. Last year's Wimbledon, the US Open, plus this year's Wimbledon, Abdul-Jabbar won three Grand Slam finals and finished second. At last night's ceremony, Abdul-Jabbar said it was all too difficult, "Let me try to say a few words, I will probably look ugly in the picture, this is the worst loss of my tennis career." However, Abdul-Jabbar also said that she will not give up and will continue to work hard, "I promise that one day I will come back and win the championship." ”

Wandrosova celebrates with family and friends after winning the championship. Photo: Xinhua News Agency

Wanzhuo Sova has seen big scenes

"I don't know what's going on, it's a great feeling. This time last year, I still had a cast on my arm. It's incredible to be able to stand here and win the championship now. After all this, Wandrosova cherishes her achievements even more.

Wanzosova has been battling wrist injuries for the past few years and has had three surgeries. In the 2020 season, Vanzosova played only 18 games a year due to a wrist injury. In 2022, wrist injuries hit again, a year in which she played only 17 matches and slipped to No. 99 in the world rankings.

When healthy Wandrosova returns, she is strong enough to enter the ranks of Grand Slam contenders. "If she stays healthy, she can stay in the top ten in the world all the time." Nine-time Wimbledon champion Navratinova said of Wanzhuosova.

In women's tennis, the name Wanzhuosova is not very noticeable. But in fact, this 24-year-old Czech girl has also seen big scenes. At the 2019 French Open, 19-year-old Wanzhuosova reached the women's singles final and eventually lost to Barty. At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Wandrosova made it all the way to the final, but eventually lost to Vicki.

After winning Wimbledon, Vanzosova also talked about the 2019 French Open women's singles final, which was her first Grand Slam final. "I was only 19 and I just remember being under so much pressure. This is a big thing in the Czech Republic and everyone is talking about it. Whether it was Barty, her opponent at the time, or the voices of the outside world, it almost crushed Wanzhuosova, "Then I told myself that if this happened again [to advance to the Grand Slam final], I had to enjoy every moment. ”

Last night's women's singles final, Wanzhuosova really enjoyed it. In the first set, Vandrosova trailed 4-2 at one point, but then scored 16 of the 18 points, which broke the pressured Abdul-Jabbar and won her first Grand Slam title.

Chief reporter of Beijing News Sun Haiguang

Edited by Xiao Wanli

Proofreader Zhao Lin