- 14:03, 15 JUL 2023
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Markéta Vondroušová is the first unseeded woman to reach the Wimbledon finals since 1963, surprising tennis fans by storming her way into the 2023 final.
The Czech player, 24, stunned Wimbledon fans by beating four seeded players, including world No. 4 Jessica Pegula, on her way to the final, where she faces Tunisian player Ons Jabeur on Saturday (July 15).
The star did not necessarily expect to get this far in the competition, explaining to reporters that her husband and sister had to book a last-minute cat sitter so they could fly out to support her in the final in London.
But what is Markéta’s life like off the court? Take a look into her life with husband Stepan, Sphynx cat Frankie and family life in the Czech Republic, when she’s not busy smashing it on the court.
Markéta has a long history of being involved in tennis, beginning the sport at four years old. She’s a former junior world No. 1, having won two major doubles titles, and began playing on the Women’s Circuit in 2014 at the age of 14.
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Markéta is married to her husband Stepan Simek, with the couple tying the knot in June 2022. They had been engaged for a year and together for around five years before that, meaning the couple have been in each other’s lives for a long time.
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The couple live together in the Czech Republic with their cat Frankie, who sometimes makes an appearance on their social media accounts. Stepan is expected to fly out to the final to support his wife on the court.
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Tennis has a special place in the couple’s relationship with Stepan being a huge fan of the sport and a former player – although he stopped playing before reaching the same level professionally as his wife.
According to the International Tennis Federation, Stepan played some junior-level matches in 2012, 2014 and 2015.
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The couple got married in July 2022 in a lavish ceremony at Chateau Mcely, a hotel just outside of Prague. Continuing their love for tennis, they even took commemorative photos on the resort’s tennis court.
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Markéta is also known for her eye-catching tattoos with many linking to key moments in her life. She has a tattoo of the Olympic rings after winning silver in the Tokyo Olympics and another one of the number 13, which is her lucky number. She previously said of her ink: ""For me this is also art. I just like it and appreciate the people who do it. I feel like it is work and it is also art."
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Her career as a professional tennis player has taken her all over the world, including to Australia where she shared a photo with a kangaroo with her fans on Instagram. As well as the Australian Open and Wimbledon, she’s also competed at the French Open, the US Open and took home silver for Czech Republic at the Tokyo Olympics, where she got engaged to now husband Stepan.
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Markéta and Stepan are childhood sweethearts, meeting as teenagers and being together ever since. When they are not working, the couple enjoy travelling, having previously posted sweet photos of trips to Athens, Greece and New York City together.
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