Markéta Vondroušová Bio
Markéta Vondroušová, born 28 June 1999 in Sokolov, Czech Republic, is a professional tennis player who reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 6 in September 2023. She has won three WTA Tour-level singles titles, including the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, where she became the first unseeded player to win the Wimbledon women’s singles title in the Open Era. She was also the runner-up at the 2019 French Open and a silver medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. A left-handed player with a two-handed backhand, she is known for her crafty style and signature drop shot.
Standing 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) tall, Vondroušová is regarded as one of the top returners in women’s tennis, having led the WTA Tour in return points won in 2019. Residing in Prague, she has been active on the WTA Tour since 2014 and has built a résumé that includes a major singles title, a Grand Slam singles final, an Olympic silver medal, and a former junior world No. 1 ranking.
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 north-west of the Czech Republic. Her father introduced her to tennis at the age of four, having played the sport recreationally. Her mother played volleyball for SK Slavia Prague in the top-flight Extraliga. Her parents divorced when Vondroušová was three, but both remained involved in her life and supported her growth as a tennis player.
When she was young, Vondroušová tried a variety of sports, including skiing, football, table tennis, and floorball, excelling in each. 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 event in Umag, Croatia. After that tournament, she began training regularly at the I. ČLTK Prague on Štvanice, commuting from her hometown and eventually moving to Prague at 15 to train more seriously. She has a strong athletic background on her mother’s side, as her great grandfather, František Frk, was the Czechoslovak national pentathlon champion in 1935.
Path to Professional Tennis
Vondroušová made her ITF Junior Circuit debut at 13, winning both the singles and doubles events at her first tournament in Malta in April 2013. She rose through the junior ranks quickly, reaching the semifinals of her first two junior Grand Slams at the 2014 French Open and Wimbledon. In 2015, she captured the Australian Open junior doubles title with compatriot Miriam Kolodziejová and the Trofeo Bonfiglio singles and doubles titles, becoming the world No. 1 ranked junior. She also led the Czech Republic to the Junior Fed Cup title that year, winning all eight of her rubbers.
She 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. After a left elbow injury limited her 2016 season, she returned in 2017 and won her maiden WTA Tour title at the Ladies Open Biel Bienne in April, defeating Anett Kontaveit in the final at just 17 years old. With that title and a subsequent ITF 100k win, she entered the top 100 for the first time and became the youngest player in the top 100 at the time.
Markéta Vondroušová Career
Early Career (2014–2017)
Vondroušová reached her first ITF singles final in March 2015 at the $10k level in Sharm El Sheikh, where she won the doubles event for her first professional title. Her first two singles titles followed in May and June 2015. She made her WTA Tour singles debut at the 2016 Prague Open, where she won her first career match against Océane Dodin before losing to eventual runner-up Samantha Stosur. A left elbow injury then kept her out of competition from May 2016 through early 2017.
After returning, she won her first two ITF singles events of 2017 and broke into the top 300 by the end of February. Her major debut came at the 2017 French Open, where she won a main-draw match before falling to Daria Kasatkina. She finished the year ranked No. 67 after reaching the top 100, claiming a WTA title, and winning two ITF titles, signaling her arrival on the professional tour.
2018–2019: French Open Final and Top 15
Vondroušová had a slow start to 2018 but rose to No. 50 after reaching the fourth round at the Indian Wells Open, where she upset No. 11 Johanna Konta. After losing early at the French Open and Wimbledon, she produced her best result of the season at the US Open, upsetting No. 13 Kiki Bertens in the third round and finishing the year at No. 67. Her 2019 season proved transformational, as she reached the quarterfinals or better at six consecutive events, including three finals, and upset then-No. 2 Simona Halep at Indian Wells.
Her best run came at the 2019 French Open, where she reached the final without dropping a set, becoming the first teenager to contest a Grand Slam final since Caroline Wozniacki at the 2009 US Open. She lost to No. 8 Ashleigh Barty in the final but entered the top 20 for the first time, reaching a peak of No. 14 before a left wrist injury ended her season after Wimbledon.
2021–2022: Olympic Silver and Comeback
Vondroušová made her WTA 1000 doubles debut at the 2021 Italian Open, reaching the final with Kristina Mladenovic. She then made a memorable Olympic run at Tokyo 2020, upsetting second seed and home favorite Naomi Osaka in the third round and beating Elina Svitolina in the semifinals before losing to Belinda Bencic in the final to claim the silver medal. In 2022, she reached the fourth round at Indian Wells for the third time before a hand injury required surgery later in the year.
2023: Wimbledon Champion
Using a protected ranking in 2023, Vondroušová reached the third round of the Australian Open and the round of 16 at Indian Wells, where she defeated Ons Jabeur twice in the early season. At Wimbledon, she defeated four seeds en route to the final, including a comeback from 1–4 down in the third set against fourth seed Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals. On 15 July 2023, she defeated Ons Jabeur in the final to become the first unseeded ladies’ singles Wimbledon champion in the Open Era, entering the top 10 two days later. She later moved to a career-high No. 6 after the US Open and was named Sportsperson of the Year at the Czech Republic’s 2023 awards.
2024–2025: Berlin Title and US Open Run
Vondroušová reached the quarterfinals at the 2024 French Open before a first-round Wimbledon loss and a hand injury forced her to withdraw from the Paris Olympics and US Open. She returned in early 2025, claiming the Berlin Open title in June, defeating world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals and Wang Xinyu in the final to win her first title since Wimbledon 2023. At the US Open, she reached the quarterfinals for the second time, defeating seventh seed Jasmine Paolini and ninth seed Elena Rybakina before withdrawing with a knee injury ahead of a match against Sabalenka.
Driving Style and Strengths
Vondroušová’s signature shot is the drop shot, and she is known for a crafty, varied style developed under early coach Jan Fuchs. She employs a left-handed topspin forehand in long, strategic rallies and excels in her return game, leading the WTA Tour in return points won among players with at least ten matches in 2019. She has worked with coaches Jiří Hřebec and Jan Hernych, with Hernych serving as her traveling coach on tour.
Notable Events and Milestones
Vondroušová’s signature moment came on 15 July 2023, when she defeated Ons Jabeur to win Wimbledon as the first unseeded women’s champion in the Open Era. She reached the 2019 French Open final as a teenager, won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, and became world No. 6 later in 2023. In 2024, she was featured in the Czech edition of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list.
Markéta Vondroušová Career Wins
Vondroušová has won three WTA Tour-level singles titles, including the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, the 2017 Ladies Open Biel Bienne, and the 2025 Berlin Open. She has also won multiple ITF singles and doubles titles and two junior Grand Slam doubles titles.
WTA Tour Highlights
Her first WTA title came at the 2017 Ladies Open Biel Bienne at age 17, the lowest-ranked WTA finalist since Justine Henin in 2010. She added her marquee title at Wimbledon in 2023, defeating Ons Jabeur in the final, and her most recent title at the 2025 Berlin Open, where she was the lowest-ranked champion in tournament history at No. 164.
Other Wins and Performances
Vondroušová won the 2015 Australian Open and French Open junior doubles titles, the 2014 Orange Bowl doubles title, and led the Czech Republic to the 2015 Junior Fed Cup title. She has also won several ITF singles titles at the $10k, $80k, and $100k levels, and reached the WTA 1000 doubles final at the 2021 Italian Open.
Markéta Vondroušová Family
Family Background and Tennis Lineage
Vondroušová was born to David Vondrouš, who introduced her to tennis at age four, and Jindřiška Anderlová, a former volleyball player for SK Slavia Prague. Her great grandfather, František Frk, was the Czechoslovak national pentathlon champion in 1935, giving her a strong athletic family heritage. Her stepfather, Tomáš Anderle, is a hockey coach who has also served as her physical fitness trainer.
Personal Life
In July 2022, Vondroušová married her longtime partner Štěpán Šimek, having been engaged since the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. They divorced in 2024, and a few months later she confirmed a relationship with Czech tennis player Andrew Paulson.
2025 Season Performance
Vondroušová’s 2025 season was defined by injury comebacks and a memorable title run. After returning from a shoulder injury, she reached the quarterfinals at the Abu Dhabi Open in February before missing several months. She returned at the French Open, where she reached the third round and pushed third seed Jessica Pegula to three sets, signaling her form on clay.
Her breakthrough came on the grass courts of the Berlin Open, where she defeated seventh seed Madison Keys, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, and qualifier Wang Xinyu in the final to claim her first title since Wimbledon 2023. The victory returned her to the top 100 at No. 73 and reaffirmed her grass-court credentials heading into the North American hard-court swing.
At the US Open, Vondroušová reached the quarterfinals for the second time in her career, defeating seventh seed Jasmine Paolini and ninth seed Elena Rybakina before withdrawing with a knee injury ahead of a quarterfinal clash with world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. The deep run capped a season in which she reclaimed her top-100 status and returned to title-winning form, while recurring injury issues remained a factor in her schedule.
