Pain free Vondrousova getting old magic back on grass

LONDON :For a player who grew up on the clay courts of the Czech Republic, Marketa Vondrousova has a surprisingly special relationship with the lawns and now she is swinging freely without pain, few will fancy facing her at Wimbledon.

The 26-year-old Vondrousova claimed the title in stunning fashion two years ago, becoming the first unseeded woman to do so in the professional era by beating Ons Jabeur in the final.

Since then she has been blighted by a shoulder injury that had her considering her future in the sport.

But in the build-up to Wimbledon she won the grasscourt title in Berlin, her first title since winning at the All England Club, and on Monday she took out American 32nd seed McCartney Kessler 6-1 7-6(3) to set up an enticing second-round clash with British number one Emma Raducanu.

It is a stark contrast to 12 months ago when she opened Centre Court play on the first Tuesday as defending champion but lost to Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.

Talking about the journey she has been on since lifting the trophy on Centre Court, left-hander Vondrousova said coming back from surgery had been a tough battle.

"I didn't play for such a long time. I had surgery here last year. It was a tough battle. I was injured. I got injured in Berlin (last year), so it was kind of like so-so," she said.

"I'm just really trying to enjoy every match, because you know, it really looked bad with my shoulder a couple of months ago, so I didn't even know if I can be here again on the court.

"Now I take it match by match, and I'm just trying to really enjoy everything here and grateful to be back."

Next up for Vondrousova is British favourite Raducanu, whose Grand Slam breakthrough in 2021 was even more surprising, winning the U.S. Open as a