Markéta Vondroušová Bio
Markéta Vondroušová (born 28 June 1999) is a Czech professional tennis player who has achieved a career-high WTA singles ranking of world No. 6. She has won three WTA Tour-level singles titles, including the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, becoming the first unseeded player to win the Wimbledon women’s singles title in the Open Era. Vondroušová was also the runner-up at the 2019 French Open and claimed a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Known for her crafty playing style and signature drop shot, she is regarded as one of the top returners in women’s tennis.
Standing 1.72 m tall, Vondroušová plays left-handed with a two-handed backhand and is based in Prague, Czech Republic. A former junior world No. 1, she turned professional in 2014 and has since built a reputation for upsetting higher-ranked opponents on the biggest stages.
Early Life and Background
Markéta Vondroušová was born on 28 June 1999 to David Vondrouš and Jindřiška Anderlová in Sokolov, a small town in the northwest of the Czech Republic. Her father introduced her to tennis at the age of four, having played the sport recreationally. Her mother was a volleyball player for SK Slavia Prague in the top-flight Extraliga. Her parents divorced when Vondroušová was three, but both remained involved and supported her growth as a tennis player.
As a young child, Vondroušová tried several sports, including skiing, football, table tennis, and floorball, excelling in them all. She began to focus on tennis early, entering a national mini-tennis tournament on Štvanice island in Prague in 2006, where she finished third and qualified for an international tournament in Umag, Croatia. After this event, she was arranged to train at the I. ČLTK Prague, traveling from her hometown two days each week. At age 12, she won the Nike Junior Tour International Masters in the United States, regarded as an unofficial 12-and-under world championship, and at 15 she moved to Prague to train more regularly.
Path to Tennis
Vondroušová made her debut on the ITF Junior Circuit at the age of 13 and won both the singles and doubles events at her first tournament, the Grade 5 San Michel International Tournament in Malta in April 2013. She later won a Grade 4 singles event in Poland and a Grade 2 doubles event in the Czech Republic. In 2014, she entered her first junior Grand Slam events and reached the semifinals at both the French Open and Wimbledon. She ended that year by winning the Orange Bowl doubles title alongside CiCi Bellis.
She became the world No. 1 ranked junior in 2015 after winning both singles and doubles titles at the Grade-A Trofeo Bonfiglio, partnering with compatriot Miriam Kolodziejová in doubles. That season, she also captured two junior Grand Slam doubles titles and led the Czech Republic to the Junior Fed Cup title, winning all eight of her rubbers. In 2015, Vondroušová began playing events on the professional circuit while still competing as a junior, marking her transition toward the WTA Tour.
Markéta Vondroušová Career
Early Career (2014–2017)
Vondroušová began playing on the ITF Women’s Circuit in May 2014 at the age of 14 and qualified for her first main draw later that year. In 2015, she claimed her first singles titles at the $10k level and made her WTA Tour singles debut at the Prague Open a year later, winning her first career match against Océane Dodin before falling to Samantha Stosur. An elbow injury kept her off the tour from mid-2016 until January 2017.
Her breakthrough came at the 2017 Ladies Open Biel Bienne, where she won her maiden WTA Tour title at age 17 in just her second career WTA singles event. After upsetting top seed Barbora Strýcová in the semifinals, she defeated Anett Kontaveit in the final to rise to No. 117 in the world. With subsequent ITF titles at the Slovak Open and Prague Open, she entered the top 100 for the first time, becoming the youngest player in the top 100 at the time.
French Open Breakthrough (2018–2019)
After a slower 2018 season in which she reached the fourth round at Indian Wells and the third round at the US Open, Vondroušová began 2019 with strong form. She reached the quarterfinals or better at six consecutive events, including finals at the Hungarian Ladies Open and İstanbul Cup. At the Indian Wells Open, she upset No. 2 Simona Halep, the highest-ranked opponent she had ever defeated, returning her to the top 50.
Her best run came at the 2019 French Open, where as an unseeded player she defeated four seeded opponents to reach the final without dropping a set. She lost to No. 8 Ashleigh Barty in the championship match but became the first teenager to contest the French Open final since Ana Ivanovic in 2007. A left wrist injury suffered at Wimbledon required surgery in September and forced her to miss the rest of the season.
Tokyo Olympic Silver Medal (2020–2021)
After time away recovering from wrist surgery, Vondroušová returned to competition in 2021. She made her WTA 1000 doubles final at the Italian Open partnering with Kristina Mladenovic. At the Tokyo Olympics, she delivered one of the standout runs of the year, defeating Kiki Bertens, Mihaela Buzărnescu, second seed Naomi Osaka, Paula Badosa, and Elina Svitolina to reach the gold medal match. She lost to Belinda Bencic in three sets and was awarded the silver medal, guaranteeing Czech Republic’s first Olympic singles final.
Wimbledon Champion (2022–2023)
Following a 2022 season shortened by another surgery, Vondroušová returned in 2023 using a protected ranking. She reached the third rounds of the Australian Open and Indian Wells, then advanced to the fourth round at Wimbledon for the first time. She defeated four seeded opponents, including Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals and Elina Svitolina in the semifinals, to reach her first Wimbledon final.
On 15 July 2023, she defeated Ons Jabeur in the final, becoming the first unseeded women’s singles Wimbledon champion in the Open Era. Ranked No. 42, she was also the lowest-ranked Wimbledon champion of the Open Era. On 11 September 2023, she reached a new career-high of No. 6 in the WTA rankings after reaching the US Open quarterfinals. On 21 December 2023, she was named Sportsperson of the Year at the Czech Republic’s Sportsperson of the Year awards.
Return to Form (2024–2025)
In 2024, Vondroušová reached the French Open quarterfinals before losing to eventual champion Iga Świątek, her best result at the event since 2019. She was upset in the first round at Wimbledon by Jéssica Bouzas Maneiro, only the second time in the Open Era that a reigning Wimbledon women’s singles champion lost her opening match. On 22 July 2024, she withdrew from the Paris Olympics and the US Open due to a hand injury.
In 2025, she returned at the Adelaide International before withdrawing from the Australian Open. After a shoulder injury kept her out from March through May, she came back at the French Open. At the Berlin Open, she defeated seventh seed Madison Keys, Ons Jabeur, and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka to reach the final, winning the title against Wang Xinyu in three sets. Ranked No. 164, she became the lowest-ranked champion in tournament history. At the US Open, she reached the quarterfinals before withdrawing due to a knee injury ahead of her match against Aryna Sabalenka.
Driving Style and Strengths
Vondroušová’s signature shot is the drop shot, and she employs a crafty, varied style developed under early coach Jan Fuchs. Her game often features long, strategic rallies that make use of her left-handed topspin forehand, and she excels in her return game more than her serve. In 2019, she led the WTA Tour in percentage of return games won and return points won among players with at least ten matches. Her favorite surface is clay, the surface she grew up playing on.
Notable Events and Milestones
Her signature result remains the 2023 Wimbledon title, where she became the first unseeded women’s singles champion in the Open Era. She was the youngest player in the WTA top 100 in 2017 and reached the 2019 French Open final at age 19. Her Olympic silver medal at Tokyo 2020 and her 2025 Berlin Open title, won as the lowest-ranked champion in tournament history, round out her most celebrated achievements.
Markéta Vondroušová Career Wins
Vondroušová has won three WTA Tour-level singles titles across her career, along with multiple ITF titles and two junior Grand Slam doubles titles. Her biggest wins came on the biggest stages, including a major championship and an Olympic silver medal.
WTA Tour Highlights
Vondroušová’s first WTA title came at the 2017 Ladies Open Biel Bienne. Her second and most significant title came at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, where she defeated Ons Jabeur in the final to become the first unseeded women’s singles champion in the Open Era. Her third title came at the 2025 Berlin Open, where she defeated Wang Xinyu in three sets to claim her first trophy since Wimbledon.
Other Wins and Performances
Vondroušová won multiple ITF singles titles early in her career, including the 2017 Slovak Open and Prague Open, which propelled her into the top 100. As a junior, she won two Grand Slam doubles titles in 2015 and led the Czech Republic to the Junior Fed Cup, winning all eight of her rubbers. She also reached the 2019 French Open singles final as an unseeded teenager.
Markéta Vondroušová Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Vondroušová has a strong athletic background on her mother’s side. Her great-grandfather, František Frk, was the Czechoslovak national pentathlon champion in 1935. Her father, David Vondrouš, introduced her to tennis at age four, while her mother, Jindřiška Anderlová, played volleyball at the top level for SK Slavia Prague.
Personal Life
In July 2022, Vondroušová married her longtime partner Štěpán Šimek. The couple had been engaged since the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she won the silver medal. They divorced in 2024, and a few months later, Vondroušová confirmed a relationship with Czech tennis player Andrew Paulson. In 2024, the Czech edition of Forbes featured Vondroušová in their 30 Under 30 list.
2025 Season Performance
Vondroušová’s 2025 season has been defined by resilience after multiple injuries. She returned from a six-month absence at the Adelaide International, defeating Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova before retiring from her second-round match against Diana Shnaider and withdrawing from the Australian Open. A shoulder injury forced her to miss the spring hard-court season, including the Italian Open.
Her comeback gained momentum on the grass courts of the Berlin Open, where she defeated Madison Keys, Diana Shnaider, Ons Jabeur, and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka to reach the final. She defeated Wang Xinyu in three sets to claim her first title since Wimbledon 2023 and returned to the top 100 at No. 73 on 23 June. She was also the lowest-ranked champion in tournament history.
At the US Open, Vondroušová advanced past Oksana Selekhmeteva, McCartney Kessler, seventh seed Jasmine Paolini, and ninth seed Elena Rybakina to reach the quarterfinals. She was forced to withdraw ahead of her match against world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka due to a knee injury. With her ranking at No. 35, she continues to rebuild momentum heading into the indoor season.