Piercing, matcha rituals lead Noskova in Kvitova's footsteps

An all-round athlete invoking lucky charms including a nose piercing, Linda Noskova is heading into Saturday's Wimbledon final following in the footsteps of compatriot and role model Petra Kvitova.

The 21-year-old will play her first Grand Slam final against fellow Czech Karolina Muchova, with whom she forged a strong friendship while playing as a doubles pair at the Paris Olympics in 2024.

Noskova, the world number 12, is the same age as Kvitova was when she won the first of her two Wimbledon titles in 2011.

"I would love to follow in (Kvitova's) footsteps," said Noskova, who has so far won two WTA singles titles, including the Berlin grass tournament in June.

"As a kid I was always looking up to her. She was the face of Czech tennis. When she won Wimbledon, I definitely noticed that and maybe she helped me to get into tennis a little bit."

On Saturday, Wimbledon will have a fourth Czech champion since Kvitova in 2011 and 2014 -- Marketa Vondrousova won in 2023 and Barbora Krejcikova in 2024.

Noskova has as much talent as Kvitova but arguably a different personality as she completely ignores her surroundings, locked within herself and focused steadfastly on what she is doing.

"I have always been like that. I want to manage my tennis myself," said Noskova, who pursued swimming, cycling, athletics and more as a child.

"I don't even need any connection with the team on the court. In fact, I sometimes forget to look at them throughout the game," she added in a recent podcast.

- 'Mental comfort' -

Noskova said she was like this at home too.

"I don't need people around me. I'm happy on my own."

"Our community wants and expects us to live in a bubble. Meet duties, show up at social events, meet sponsors... I don't want to get absorbed by this," said Noskova.

When the players went on holiday after the 2025 season, Noskova travelled to Zanzibar to volunteer at a local school for a week.

"I could really rest there. I didn't think of tennis once," she said, calling the experience "unforgettable".

"In 90 percent of cases, mental comfort is more important than physical comfort."

Noskova has confessed she likes cooking and baking -- she has created her own pizza style "with a kind of salad on top", but also driving her Tesla car.

She has a penchant for lucky charms and rituals -- besides the piercing in her nose, she has matcha tea served by a friend every morning at Wimbledon.

"It still works," chucked Noskova, who was trained by Martina Hingis's mother Melanie Molitor in Switzerland as a child.

Noskova has lavished praise on ninth-ranked Muchova as a "great girl" since their impromptu partnership at Paris where they finished fourth.

The two have only played against each other once -- in the third round of last year's US Open, with Muchova winning in three sets.

Noskova has a painful Wimbledon memory -- in 2024, she entered the tournament shortly after her mother had died of cancer.

If she wins on Saturday, fans will be curious to see her reaction as she has so far largely celebrated her victories by squatting on the court.

"I don't know how to celebrate really. I never know what to do. I'm still kind of down on earth," Noskova said.

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© Agence France-Presse