Noskova wrestling free of clay malaise
Linda Noskova played Roland-Garros twice as a junior, reaching the quarterfinals on her first try in 2020 before breaking a 39-year Czech drought by winning the girls’ title in 2021. In 2022, at 17, she became the youngest woman to qualify for the main draw in 13 years.Since then, however, Noskova’s fortunes on the Parsian clay have dwindled. She has won just two of six main draw matches on the terre battue in her career.Speaking to rolandgarros.com while preparing for battle, the world No.12 wasn’t shy about admitting that clay has never been her best surface.“Let's be honest,” the laid-back 21-year-old said. “Even before the juniors title here, it has never been my strength – I don't know what happened that year, but it was great.”When Noskova was a kid she was a fan of professional wrestling, and she broke out in laughter as she admitted to being obsessed with a brawny, purple-haired phenom by the name of Sasha Banks.“When I was a kid, 15 or 16, I watched it a lot,” she said. “I actually had a birthday cake with one of the characters. It was almost like an obsession.”Noskova’s predilection for smashmouth tennis might explain her affinity for the in-your-face theatrics of wrestling. A powerful baseliner with a booming serve, she approaches her tennis with guns blazing, ripping serves and cracking her forehand with pugilistic fury.It hasn’t always worked for her on the clay, but she and her coach Tomas Krupa are focused on changing that narrative in 2026.She’s had her best season on the red stuff to date, winning six of nine matches, including a dramatic 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(5) win over Coco Gauff in Madrid that boosted her confidence in a big way.“That was a big step for me,” Noskova said. “I feel like, especially this year, I'm focusing just on myself, feeling comfortable and accepting the fact that I have to play on clay. I cannot just swim through the season. I really have to focus on it.“It's a big part of the year, so I'm just really trying to be inside the game as much as possible in my head.”Touting a career-high ranking of No.12, Noskova was out on Court 12 just 24 hours before the main draw started, practicing serves and returns with Naomi Osaka. The diligent Krupa was there by her side, cracking jokes at times and dishing out instructions urgently at others.Noskova has worked with the Czech, a former ATP pro, since she was 15. She praises the 54-year-old for taking a laissez faire approach to her game.“One thing he has always been telling me is that he trusts my game,” she said. “He doesn't want to tell me where to play the ball. He wants to teach me how to play it, which has helped me keep my head straight in the game, and clean, so I can make good decisions. I feel like that has probably been the main key, that he has given me that kind of freedom on court.”No matter the surface, it has been a breakout year for Noskova, who is coming into her own on tour. She reached her first WTA 1000 final in Beijing last fall, earning two top 10 wins in the process, and powered into the Indian Wells semifinals in March.That run of activity has put her on the cusp of the top 10, but Noskova prefers not to think about her ranking. For the right-hander, the challenge is internal - she wants to block out the noise as she strives for her best tennis – the rest will take care of itself.“If I'm gonna finish my career and be happy with all my results that I have done, I just know that I have put all my work into it, on court and off court as well,” she said, adding: “I will be happy with that. I don't need titles or points or rankings. It's about a feeling for me.”
