"It is pretty much historical because of Martina Navratilova, Novotna" - Linda Noskova on Czech dominance in tennis

Rising Czech sensation Linda Noskova recently touched upon her country’s long history of successful tennis players, including Martina Navratilova and Ivan Lendl.

Noskova, the 2021 girls’ French Open champion, has been making her mark on the WTA Tour in recent months. The 18-year-old’s season got off to a great start as she reached her maiden WTA final at the WTA 500 Adelaide International 1. While she came up short against World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, her consistent results eventually led her inside the World’s Top 50 for the first time in May.

The six-time ITF title winner recently contested the Poland Open, where she bowed out against World No. 1 and eventual champion Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals.

Following her loss, the Czech player spoke about her country’s outstanding success in tennis. The Czech Republic has minted numerous Grand Slam champions throughout history. Active women’s players, such as two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova and reigning champion Marketa Vondrousova, 2021 French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova and reigning runner-up Karolina Muchova, have also dominated the tour this season.

Noskova credited Czech-born legends Martina Navratilova, Ivan Lendl, and Jana Novotna for the country’s historic success and lauded them for paving the way for future generations.

“I would say it is pretty much historical because of [Jana Novotna], [Martina Navratilova], and all these male Czech players as well – [Ivan Lendl], let’s say,” she said in conversation with Dominik Senkowski at the Poland Open.

“And I think it’s kind of like, we see all these players that already made it, and we just want to be like them. And it is very important for young players to play tennis as well, so,” she added, praising Martina Navratilova, Lendl and Navotna.

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"It is all starting from the young age" – Linda Noskova on Czech players being influenced by legends such as Martina Navratilova

Linda Noskova was the 2021 French Open girls' champion

Martina Navratilova represented the United States for most of her career, but her influence in the Czech Republic can be noticed in the current generation of Czech players.

Alongside Linda Noskova, numerous other next-Gen tennis players, such as Fruhvirtova sisters Linda and Brenda on the women’s side, and Jiri Lehecka, Dalibor Svrcina, and Jakub Mensik on the men’s side, feature in the World’s Top 200.

Noskova stated that, with good facilities available all around the country, tennis is ingrained in the players from a young age.

“There’s a lot of kids’ schools and a lot of tennis clubs, so it is all starting from the young age, I think,” she said.

Noskova is now gearing up for the WTA 250 Prague Open -- she is the 4th seed. In 2022, she was halted by eventual champion Marie Bouzkova in the semifinal of the event.

Reflecting on the campaign, the 18-year-old stated that playing in front of the home crowd is ‘cozy.’ The player said that she is looking forward to making it count this time around as she vies for her maiden WTA title.

“I got the home crowd cheering, and it was very homey, very cozy I would say. But obviously, I had some pretty tough matches like with Cornet or Bouzkova, so, I’m just hoping to win a few rounds in a few days,” she said.