Marketa Vondrousova has proved that her shock Wimbledon title run in 2023 was not a fluke.
Following a difficult 2024 season where she was blighted by injury, the Czech player has had somewhat of a resurgence over the 2025 grass court season.
Vondrousova is now on a six-match streak after defeating the likes of Madison Keys and Aryna Sabalenka on the way to lifting the Berlin Open title.
Now the 25-year-old is on a mission to reclaim the Wimbledon title, but standing in her way is British number one Emma Raducanu, who is aiming to have a strong campaign on home soil and defeat Vondrousova at SW19 for the second time.
What does Marketa Vondrousova think Emma Raducanu does better now than earlier in her career?
Like Emma Raducanu, Marketa Vondrousova left the tennis world stunned to win a Grand Slam title unseeded.
Vondrousova won the 2023 Wimbledon title, while Raducanu claimed the 2021 US Open crown without dropping a set.
Their title wins came with intense scrutiny and expectation, something neither player was used to and both players suffered numerous injuries following the greatest moment of their respective careers.
Ahead of facing Raducanu, Vondrousova believes the British number one is now doing a better job of managing the hype and attention that she receives both on and off the court.
“I feel like she [Raducanu] had it way worse because she is from a bigger country. She had crazy pressure. I feel like she has it in every tournament all the time.,” Raducanu says.
“Now, I feel like she’s getting better and better with it, but overall it must have been crazy for her to live all of that. Like when you win a Grand Slam from qualies, it must have been a crazy thing, for sure.
“Bigger country, bigger pressure I feel like, but I feel like now she’s getting better and better. I feel like now she kind of found her way maybe, you know, into tennis and the matches again. I feel like she really belongs here where she is, and yeah, she’s a great player.”
What Emma Raducanu will need to do to beat Marketa Vondrousova at Wimbledon
Raducanu will face one of the most creative and intelligent players on the WTA Tour in Vondrousova.
The world number 73 knows how to utilise every angle on a grass court and make the match awkward for her opponent, especially as a left-handed player.
To combat the Czech player’s strengths, former WTA player Naomi Broady told BBC Sport how Raducanu can use her forehand to cause Vondrousova some problems.
“She has made a few small tweaks on the forehand, and done the same with the serve, and it is a mindset shift of being more aggressive.
“Typically, if you’re going to be more aggressive you’re going to be hitting closer to the sidelines and playing with a smaller margin.
“You’re hitting the ball much harder and with that you take more risk. So when you take more risk you have to be prepared to accept you may miss more on occasions. It’s about keeping the balance – you need the success of the shot to outweigh the misses. It’s risk-reward.”
