Linda Noskova will return to the tennis court in Toronto for the first time since her first career Grand Slam title at Wimbledon three weeks ago.
The 21-year-old World No. 7 on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz has enjoyed a whirlwind few weeks, from celebrations in the her native Czechia to heightened media attention and more. Now, she’s ready to get back on the hard courts after two titles during the Grass-Court Swing on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz.
“Obviously the last couple of weeks have been nothing more but crazy and chaos, so I’m glad I can kind of start over,” Noskova said during her pre-tournament press conference in Toronto. “It’s a new week, new tournament, new surface, it’s all the changes at the same time.
“I’ll have to get used to it as fast as possible, but it’s a new opportunity for me to work on my tennis and get better.”
Wimbledon is now in the past for Noskova, who said that it took her nearly 10 days after the victory for her biggest win to date to full soak in.
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I had to tell myself that it is not the end of the world. My career is not ending here, it is hopefully only starting. Winning a Grand Slam is an unreal thing. But at the same time, I’m still 21, I feel like since I accomplished this so soon, I feel like it’s even a bigger motivation for me to keep going. — Linda Noskova
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Over the past few weeks, Noskova had several media appearances back in Prague, and she was also honored alongside compatriot and Wimbledon finalist Karolina Muchova at the Prague Open. The two also met Czech President, Petr Pavel, at the Prague Castle. After it all, she did find the time to celebrate with family and vacation in Italy.
“Maybe I will not realize it a hundred percent, you know, it’s always just one of those big things that actually happen and you’re not preparing yourself for that, it’s kind of like a big shocker,” Noskova said on reflecting on the title. “But you have to restart and keep going, it’s not the end of the world.”
That restart will come in Toronto, where Noskova will make her debut in the city. She’s previously played the National Bank Open, just in Montreal as the tournament alternates between the two cities.
With Noskova still early into her career, she doesn’t see Wimbledon as the limit or pinnacle.
Of course, it’s a coveted title that will be cherished for the rest of her career, and she has the trophy sitting right in her living room so she can glance it at when she’s back in Czechia. Ultimately, Noskova sees the victory as a potential springboard for the rest of her career as she’s in the midst of a 2026 season where she’s won two titles, reached the top 10 in the PIF WTA Rankings and let alone win a major.
“I had to tell myself that it is not the end of the world,” Noskova said. “My career is not ending here, it is hopefully only starting. Winning a Grand Slam is an unreal thing. But at the same time, I’m still 21, I feel like since I accomplished this so soon, I feel like it’s even a bigger motivation for me to keep going.”
Linda Noskova addresses the media ahead of the National Bank Open. (Jimmie48/WTA)
With more experience under her belt, Noskova said the transition between surfaces has become easier. Prior to her titles at Wimbledon and Berlin on grass, hard court was her most productive surface, and over the past year, she reached the semifinals in Indian Wells, and finals in Prague, Beijing and Tokyo. Her aggressive style and power strokes from the baseline suit the surface well.
“I hope to get used to all the different conditions, different balls, different speed on the court and everything, the weather is kind of tricky as well,” It’s all those things together, but it’s part of our tournament, so it’s what I have to do.”
Noskova, the No. 6 seed in Toronto, has a bye into the second round. The bottom half of the draw is currently scheduled to play the second round on Wednesday.