Jessica Pegula shared her admiration for Linda Nosková following the Czech tennis star’s triumph at the Wimbledon Championships. The American, who lost to the champion just weeks before the Grand Slam event, heaped praise on the 21-year-old as she celebrated her first Grand Slam title.
Nosková defeated compatriot Karolína Muchová in the Wimbledon women’s singles final on Saturday.
Jessica Pegula Heaps Praise on Linda Nosková After Wimbledon Triumph
As Nosková clinched the Wimbledon title, Pegula pointed out how Czech players have been consistently performing well on grass courts of late. Including Nosková’s triumph, Czech players have now won the women’s singles title at SW19 in three of the last four editions.
Pegula also noted that the 21-year-old defeated her in the final of the Berlin Tennis Open before using that momentum to win the prestigious Venus Rosewater Dish at the All England Club.
“In hindsight, you’re like, ‘It wasn’t a bad loss. We had a good scoreline. We didn’t get the win, but she won Wimbledon.’ So basically we could have won Wimbledon,” Pegula said on The Player’s Box Podcast.
Madison Keys, who lost to Nosková in straight sets in the fourth round of Wimbledon, insisted that she knew after the match that the Czech player would be winning the trophy.
“Literally, I walked off the court and was walking to the press, and everyone was like, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry. Are you so bummed?’ I was like, ‘No guys, she’s winning Wimbledon. I promise you, she’s holding the trophy this Saturday,’” Keys said.
Pegula also hailed the impressive mindset that helped Nosková bounce back to win the women’s singles final after giving up a 5-2 lead and losing the second set against Muchová.
“It was more impressive how she did it than if she would have won two and two. Because she was up 6-2, 5-2. She had a few points on return, literally didn’t win a game, lost the second set 7-5, and then was able to jump out quickly in the third because she reset so well. That was wild,” Pegula said.
Regarded as one of the most talented young players on the WTA Tour, Nosková showcased her potential with her run at SW19. She will now look to build on her composed, resilient performances over the last few weeks as a springboard for more success on the WTA Tour.
Now up to seventh in the WTA rankings, the player will shift her focus to the North American swing. After making the third round of the US Open last year, she will have her sights set on a deep run at Flushing Meadows this time around.
