Markéta Vondroušová’s Stunning Comeback: From the Shadows to the Berlin Final
A quiet force returned to the spotlight this week as Markéta Vondroušová carved her way through the Berlin Open with silent elegance and shocking power. This is the story of how a former Wimbledon champion, counted out by many, found her fire again on the grass.
WORLDWIDE
6/21/20252 min read
When Markéta Vondroušová walked onto the court in Berlin, there was no roar of expectation. Her ranking had dropped. Her shoulder was still recovering from surgery. The tennis world had moved on, shifting its spotlight to newer names and louder champions. She was the underdog, unseeded and overlooked.
But as the grass crunched beneath her shoes, something inside her clicked.
It wasn’t long ago, just the summer of 2023, when Vondroušová shocked the world by lifting the Wimbledon trophy. The left-handed Czech had danced her way to glory with her unorthodox slice game and calm demeanor. But her moment at the top was brief. Injury struck. Surgery followed. Her return to the tour was quiet, almost invisible.
Berlin was supposed to be a test of her form, not a breakthrough. Yet from her opening match, she played like someone with nothing to lose and everything to prove. Her movement was smooth. Her mind, sharp. Her shots landed like whispers just inside the lines.
Then came the turning point. A straight-set victory over world number one Aryna Sabalenka. The scoreboard read 6-2, 6-4. It wasn’t just an upset. It was a statement. Sabalenka’s power was absorbed and redirected with craft and control. Vondroušová never flinched. Her hands were steady. Her mind was clear. For the first time in her career, she had taken down a reigning world number one, and she had done it with ease.
The crowd didn’t just cheer. They began to believe.
She now marches into the final, her first at tour level since Wimbledon. Waiting for her will be either Liudmila Samsonova or Wang Xinyu, both dangerous opponents, both aware that this version of Vondroušová is not someone you overlook.
Because this is not about nostalgia. This is not about trying to reclaim old glory. This is about a player who has tasted the top, fallen out of sight, and is now writing a new chapter with quiet brilliance and unmatched poise.
As Wimbledon 2025 draws near, Markéta Vondroušová is no longer a memory from a magical summer. She is a threat, a force reborn on the grass, and the tennis world would be wise to watch her closely.