This year\u2019s women\u2019s final at Wimbledon was notable for featuring two Czechs, and it’s not just Linda Noskova and Karolina Muchova who have made their mark on the hallowed grass courts, but other Czechs too. One after another, they\u2019re being asked the same questions: Where does the magic of Czech tennis come from? How is it possible that so many girls succeed? What are you doing differently over there?<\/p>\n
Listen to the audio version of this article on Spotify!<\/a><\/p>\n Tradition? Some sort of system? The money parents invest in their young daughters? Or their dedication, constant care and travelling to all sorts of tournaments? Perhaps a bit of everything. But success cannot be bought. Nor does it come about through nostalgia, talk or reminiscing about former champions.<\/p>\n Linda Noskova<\/a> and Karolina Muchova<\/a> now belong to different generations. When Karolina first broke into the top 100 of the WTA rankings, Linda was still playing amongst the younger juniors. But there is one thing that unites them.<\/p>\n “Humility, hard work and ambition – those are the key factors. Then you can forget about whether you\u2019ve got four people on your team when you\u2019re 12 or 14. But if you have these values alongside your talent, then you\u2019ll simply beat anyone,” says Czech youth coach Ondrej Dohnal, who has previously helped develop players such as\u00a0Katerina Siniakova<\/a>.<\/p>\n Universal strength of character<\/p>\n The last decade at Wimbledon has truly belonged to Czech women\u2019s tennis. It\u2019s not just about the champions Noskova, Barbora Krejcikova<\/a>, Marketa Vondrousova<\/a> or Petra Kvitova<\/a>. The list of defeated finalists includes Muchova and Karolina Pliskova<\/a>, whilst Barbora Strycova<\/a> and Lucie Safarova<\/a> have reached the semi-finals. Siniakova, for her part, is a multiple doubles champion.<\/p>\n Each of the players mentioned has her own unique story; she is distinctive in her own way. Not just in terms of tennis, but as a person too.<\/p>\n If you think back to the winners\u2019 acceptance speeches, one that stands out is that of Krejcikova, who, on the Wimbledon courts two years ago, paid tribute to her role model, coach and former tournament winner Jana Novotna. This time, both finalists delivered powerful speeches. Noskova thanked her mum from the bottom of her heart, and Muchova also showed her class.<\/p>\n “Often, the losers can\u2019t handle the moment and prefer to keep their speech brief so as not to cause offence. They thank their team and congratulate their opponents. <\/p>\n “But Karolina\u2019s speech was so powerful that you believed every word she said. She paid tribute to her friend and then told the world that she still plans to win that trophy and come back even stronger. This, too, was incredible publicity for Czech tennis in general,” notes Dohnal, recalling the moment when tears welled up in the defeated finalist\u2019s eyes and well-deserved applause rang out across the packed arena.<\/p>\n Dedicated coaches behind the scenes<\/p>\n Czech women\u2019s tennis has once again strengthened its position following the Wimbledon tournament. It has two players in the world\u2019s top 10, and no fewer than eight in the top 50! 10 players made it through to the main draw of the grass-court Grand Slam. A miracle for such a small country?<\/p>\n So what exactly is this ‘Czech magic’ that allows a small country in the heart of Europe to hold its own against, say, the United States, which has a population 30 times larger?<\/p>\n When the BBC asked tennis legend Martina Navratilova about this, she didn\u2019t hesitate with her answer:\u00a0“In the Czech Republic, there are clubs everywhere; every small town has two, three or four clay courts, and there are now far more good coaches.”<\/p>\n The traditional question that Czech female tennis players are routinely asked following their successful performances is explored further by the head coach of one of the leading Czech tennis academies – the one endorsed not only by its name but also by former world number one Karolina Pliskova.<\/p>\n “As well as the fact that you can find a tennis court in almost every small village here, there\u2019s always a coach nearby who can teach the technique. That\u2019s the Czech way, and that\u2019s what the tennis powerhouses are missing,”\u00a0says Dohnal.<\/p>\n According to him, the jewel in the crown of Czech tennis is a good coach who can teach children the correct basics from a young age whilst keeping budding talents disciplined.<\/p>\n “Even though the English or Australian federations have budgets a hundred times larger, and\u00a0also Grand Slams where they exchange wildcards for talented players, or are obliged to invest money in youth development, that Czech DNA is more valuable. We still have people in our system who put their heart and soul into it,”\u00a0he adds.<\/p>\n But he also warns: “These tennis coaches, invisible to many, who work for 500 (Czech crowns) an hour or less, are doing their job – compared to, say, fitness coaches and other modern sports professions – for less than they\u2019re worth, and they\u2019re gradually starting to disappear.”<\/p>\n In France, Germany, Britain and other more renowned countries, tennis players may not be doing badly, and more money is flowing into the system, but they are struggling with the fundamental issue: quality human resources.<\/p>\n