"The first emotion I saw in him over 8 years" - Marketa Vondrousova jokes about her husband crying after her Wimbledon triumph
Marketa Vondrousova etched her name onto the record books on Saturday (July 15) after she defeated Ons Jabeur in the final to win the 2023 Wimbledon Championships.
With her victory over the Tunisian, Vondrousova also became the first unseeded player to win the Wimbledon title in the Open Era. Jabeur, who already had her heart broken last year by Elena Rybakina, was hopeful of winning her maiden Grand Slam title on her third attempt.
However, the Czech professional comfortably beat Jabeur 6-4, 6-4, in 80 minutes to win her maiden Grand Slam singles title. She is also the third left-hander to lift the title after Billie Jean King and Petra Kvitova.
Speaking to the media in the post-match press conference, Marketa Vondrousova shed some light on her husband, Stepan Simek's emotions. When informed about Simek's calm demeanor during the final, Vondrousova said that it was normal for her husband who generally shies away from expressing his emotions.
The recently crowned champion added that Simek hugged her after her win and cried for the first time in over eight years.
"He's like this all the time (smiling). I think when I came to the box, he cried. I saw him after, and he cried a lot. I think that's the first emotion I saw him over the eight years (laughter). I think he cried on the wedding day also, but that was it for the eight years, so... That's it," Vondrousova said.
Earlier in the tournament, Vondrousova was asked about her husband's absence during her quarterfinal win over Jessica Pegula. She replied that he was at home back then. She even said that Simek would probably miss the semifinals (which he did) because he would be staying at home, taking care of their cat.
He didn't miss the final, though, and the couple will celebrate their first anniversary on July 16 with a perfect gift.
"When I was coming back, I didn't know what's going to happen" - Marketa Vondrousova on coming back from her injury
Marketa Vondrousova had reached the 2019 French Open final where she lost to Ashleigh Barty. However, since her impressive run at Roland Garros, the Czech professional struggled with injuries.
Just after the 2019 French Open, Vondrousova had surgery on her wrist, which sidelined her for almost half a year. In 2022, she had another wrist surgery which also sidelined her for a while.
In her post-match interview on Saturday, the 2020 Olympic medalist reflected on her emotions about making her comeback to the tour and winning the Wimbledon title. She stated that she doubted if she would be able to play at the highest level again.
"Yeah, when I was coming back, I didn't know what's going to happen, if I can play at that level again. Yeah, I mean, this seems impossible. Even, like, I don't know, on grass I didn't play well before. I think it was the most impossible Grand Slam for me to win, so I didn't even think of it," Marketa Vondrousova said.
With her maiden Grand Slam win at Wimbledon, Marketa Vondrousova will make her top 10 debut in the WTA singles rankings on Monday.