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At a certain point she can no longer hold back her tears of joy. Shortly after the handshake at the net, Linda Noskova’s emotions exploded. She achieved the incredible: the Czech, who only turned 19 last November, eliminated world number one Iga Swiatek (22) (3:6, 6:3, 6:4). She was the first teenager to do so at the Australian Open since 1999 – the first since France’s Amélie Mauresmo (44), who fooled American Lindsay Davenport (47).
Noskova ends Swiatek’s 18-match winning streak all year in Melbourne. And by reaching the quarter-finals, after Elina Switolina (29) gave up at 3-0, she continues to write about her fairy tale Down Under.
Together with sisters Fruhvirtova Linda (18) and Brenda (16), Noskova is considered the greatest hope for the future in the Czech Republic, a tennis country with numerous top players. But there is also a touch of Switzerland at number 50 in the world, coming from the city of Vsetin.
Noskova was for a long time one of the protégés of tennis teacher Melanie Molitor (66). The mother of former Swiss world champion Martina Hingis (43) not only coached her daughter to success, she also helped Belinda Bencic (26) break through to the top of the world. And between 2011 and 2019 she was involved in the rise of Swiss tennis star Céline Naef (18).
“Your greatest weapon is your head”
Because of her heritage, Noskova represented another passion project for her, as Molitor laughingly revealed to Blick: “She grew up just 15 minutes from where I grew up. (Roznov pod Radhostem, editor.) It was natural for me that I would help.”
Well: Molitor will of course also have recognized Noskova’s great potential. In any case, the coup against Swiatek did not surprise her, says Molitor: “I knew Linda could beat her. Your greatest weapon is your head. She has remarkable instincts and can easily change tactics during the match.” The performance against the Polish number one in the world was “perfect” in that respect.
Molitor says she is “thrilled” if her work is confirmed. But she emphasizes even more that the laurels of success “mainly belonged to Linda’s mother Ivana”. Moreover, after her Grand Slam title at the junior event at Roland Garros 2021, Noskova found “ideal conditions” with the Czech association.
Nevertheless: Noskova’s camp had previously consciously decided that the great talent should be fine-tuned in the Molitor school, which is considered strict but effective. For a long time, Noskova regularly traveled to Wollerau SZ to work at Molitor for a week. “Sometimes once a month, sometimes every two months it was different,” recalls the Czech-born woman, who compares Noskova to Bencic: “She has a similar style to Belinda. The difference is that Belinda had more strength as a young player, while Linda acted much more tactically.
“Exchanged a few statements”
For about three years now, Noskova has been going her own way, without Molitor. The trainer confirms that there would still be contact: “I congratulated her on the victory over Swiatek. And we exchanged a few quotes.”
But just like Bencic, Molitor cannot predict how far Noskova can go at the top of the tennis world. Too much can happen in this sport. The semi-finals on Wednesday evening against the Ukrainian Dajana Jastremska (23), who “hits like crazy”, is a possibility: “I absolutely trust that she will do that.”
It is quite possible that Noskova will then receive a text message from the canton of Schwyz.
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
