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Marketa Vondrousova, 24, reveals the crushing defeat suffered against Ashleigh Barty in the 2019 French Open final taught her how not to approach a Grand Slam final. In the 2019 French Open final - which was Vondrousova's first Grand Slam final - the Czech didn't stand much of a chance as Barty claimed a 6-1 6-3 win.
This past Saturday, Vondrousova appeared in her second Grand Slam final at Wimbledon. This time, Vondrousova looked much better and defeated sixth-seeded Ons Jabeur 6-4 6-4 to lift her first Grand Slam crown.
Vondrousova recalls losing to Barty in her first Grand Slam final
"Yeah, so I was 19 in the first final.
I just remember it was such a stress. I just wanted to do well. It was a big thing in Czech. Everybody was talking about it. I think she just crushed me. It was a very fast match and I didn't even, like, enjoyed it. I was very sad after.
I just told myself if this happens again, you have to enjoy every moment. Even if I lose, I just have to enjoy it. I think even if I lost today, I think I'd still enjoy this moment. It's such a big achievement. I just really enjoy this match today," Vondrousova said.
Vondrousova was 2-4 down in the first set before winning the next four games and winning the opener. In the second set, Vondrousova blew an early break but broke Jabeur again in the ninth game before serving out for the match in the following game.
"I mean, relief. 'Cause when I was 40-Love up, I almost couldn't breathe. It's just like everything is on you. Yeah, I mean, I'm just very happy that I stayed in my head and I just kept it together. It was really tough in some moments.
I think it was just a great match. We had some great rallies. She's an amazing player. She's an amazing person. That was the tough part also. We know each other very well. I'm just very happy that I kept fighting in the important moments," Vondrousova said.