"People look at you differently" - Marketa Vondrousova opens up about how winning Wimbledon changed her life even if she herself didn't

Marketa Vondrousova won the Wimbledon title in 2023 and became the only unseeded woman to achieve the feat in the Open Era. The Czech player recently opened up about how winning the title made people look at her differently. However, she does not believe it has brought about any change in her.

Before entering the grasscourt Slam last year, Vondrousova's best Wimbledon performance was a second-round exit in 2021. Her best Grand Slam performance was a French Open runner-up title in 2019.

As World No. 42, Vondrousova entered the Major in London as an unseeded player. She got past Veronika Kudermetova, Donna Vekic and Jessica Pegula among others to face Ons Jabeur in the final. The Tunisian was playing her second final in a row - she lost to Elena Rybakina in 2022 - and came short again in 2023 as Vondrousova defeated her.

Before she begins her title defense at Wimbledon 2024, the Czech player revealed that the championship had not changed her life. She believes that it may have changed the lives of people around her but not hers. Vondrousova said (via Punto de Break):

"Honestly, my life didn't change much. It just happened... I thought, 'Okay, now you're Wimbledon champion.' Maybe it did change more for the people around me. They look at you differently." (Translated from Spanish)

"Now I have the trophy at home, every day I look at it and think: 'Yes, this has happened.' (laughs) I don't think winning a Grand Slam should change you as a person. I don't think of myself as a Wimbledon champion, I think of myself as Marketa, not as the winner of this tournament," she added.

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Marketa Vondrousova did not believe she could win the Wimbledon title until she was within touching distance

Marketa Vondrousova got the better of Elina Svitolina in the semifinal of Wimbledon 2023. However, even reaching the final was not enough for her to start believing that she could win the title.

Marketa Vondrousova with The Venus Rosewater Dish at Wimbledon 2023. (Source: GETTY)

At 5-4 in the second set, after winning the first set 6-4, the Czech player finally thought about winning as she served for the championship. Vondrousova said (via Punto de Break):

"I took it match by match, I didn't think about winning at all. I think the first thought that I could win the tournament came when I broke Ons (Jabeur) in the second set, 5-4, and I was serving to win the match."

The 25-year-old will begin her title defense by taking on Spanish player Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the first round on Tuesday, July 2. This will be the first meeting between the two.