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EXCLUSIVE: Wimbledon champion Noskova on mental preparation and plans outside of tennis

Noskova during the Livesport Prague Open tournament at Stvanice
Noskova during the Livesport Prague Open tournament at StvaniceČTK / Šimánek Vít

It's not even three weeks since Czech tennis player Linda Noskova lit up the sports world by winning Wimbledon. Although she has given many interviews since then, she still smiles when meeting journalists, and it was no different when she spoke for the Livesport Daily podcast.

She spoke openly, for example, about her interests outside the court and how she maintains her mental well-being. "I don't use any mental coach, I think the simplest thing you can do is rely on yourself," she said.

Events of the past weeks

"It's an interesting period. There have been so many experiences in the last three weeks that you can't even process it all or fully realise it. But I'm healthy, I'm in a good place in life, I have my family and a great team around me, so I'm doing well. 

"Since my triumph at Wimbledon, I've learned a lot about myself, mainly that I can handle new situations well, even those I've never been in before."

Mental state during the season

"During the year, there are a lot of days when I would say I'm not doing well. Compared to other 'ordinary' people, of course, my worries are nicer and smaller - like when a training session doesn't go well or I lose a match.

"But for me personally, tennis is my life, it's the centre of my world, so even just one bad training session can really upset me and make me irritable towards those around me."

Interviews and increased attention

"It's definitely true that lately, talking about tennis is more exhausting than tennis itself, especially for me, since I'm not really in love with this media and extroverted world. But I have to say, I've surprised myself with how well I'm handling it.

"The biggest moments from all the ceremonies were probably visiting President Pavel and especially the welcome at home in Prerov - that was beautiful and personally very emotional for me."

Plans outside of tennis

"I've always said that tennis is my way to break into something different and new. I'm very interested in animal protection and nature conservation, so I believe that winning Wimbledon will help me a lot with these ambitions.

"I financially support poor children in Tanzania, where I spent a few days last year. What I took away from that trip is that we live such a privileged and somewhat gilded life here. The other side of the world is completely different, so we have to appreciate everything we have."

Noskova celebrates her Wimbledon triumph
Noskova celebrates her Wimbledon triumphREUTERS/Toby Melville

Supporting Marketa Vondrousova

"I supported her privately, I wrote to her as soon as everything came out around her, because it felt right. I told her what I personally thought about it. If I had made some public gesture, it probably wouldn't have changed much anyway.

"I believe that for fans it would be nice if I supported her at Wimbledon or on social media, but for me, it's always been much more important that if I have something like that in my heart, I tell the person directly."

Insults and threats from gamblers

"After losing matches, it's absolutely automatic on social media now. Unfortunately, these days are tough in this regard, but for gamblers it's extremely easy to just grab a phone, create an anonymous account, and write to us.

"Luckily, it doesn't affect me, because I know that these same people, if they met me on the street, would never say it to my face. I've been getting messages like this since I was 13, and unfortunately organisations like the WTA can't really do much about it. I know they're trying to fight it, but you can't stop this. Today, it's really part of tennis."

Mental preparation and thinking about her career

"I don't use any mental coach, I think the simplest thing you can do is rely on yourself. When you focus on yourself, trust only yourself, and not any help from the outside world, that's the easiest.

"For me, the key is to stay normal - tennis is a beautiful career, but when it's over, that bubble bursts. I'd like to play tennis until I'm 30 at most, and then I believe that thanks to staying grounded, the transition to normal life won't be difficult for me."

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