Noskova, an astonishing Wimbledon fightback - and a kiss to the sky

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. This video can not be played Figure caption, Tearful Noskova dedicates Wimbledon title to late mother By Amy Lofthouse and Emily Salley BBC Sport journalists at Wimbledon Published 3 minutes ago As Linda Noskova stepped up to the baseline, Wimbledon's Centre Court crowd held its breath. When she led 6-2 5-2 with five championship points against Karolina Muchova, Noskova's nerves had hit, and she found herself dragged to a deciding set. But this time, on championship point number six, a serve came cracking down that Muchova could barely get a racquet to, the ball trickling away just a few yards along the grass. Noskova, after a remarkable show of resilience and determination, was the Wimbledon champion. To recover from the position she found herself in was - in the words of the legendary John McEnroe - "one of the all-time greatest efforts you will ever see on this court". And there was one person not far from the 21-year-old's mind. After thanking her family, and with father Drahos watching from the stands, Noskova said: "There's one more person that I want to thank, which is my mum. "I would definitely not be standing here without you, so thank you." With tears in her eyes, she kissed her right hand and raised it skywards as the crowd gave her a standing ovation. Noskova's mother, Ivana, died of cancer on the eve of Wimbledon 2024. Noskova, who was then 19, played on the Monday, and won her first match at SW19. To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. This video can not be played Figure caption, Noskova recovers from five missed championship points to beat Muchova In an interview with Czech outlet iSport , external in January 2024, Noskova's mother described her daughter as "unflappable". "She takes after my husband in that regard. She simply doesn't let things bother her," she said. "Whether it's a break point or a match point, she stays just as calm. "It's not that she doesn't care - it's just she's able to detach herself from the situation." It was that inner strength that Noskova drew from on Saturday. She was the better player for the majority of the match but - after Muchova saved three championship points when serving - the tension was obvious. Noskova only double-faulted twice in the second set - when she served for the title at 5-3 up. Her ball toss went awry, her footwork was a step slower, and she was more agitated, at one point screaming in frustration after a netted forehand. After being broken on her first attempt to serve out victory, Noskova put her fingers in her ears as she walked back to her chair. After Muchova won the next two games, Noskova hid her head in a towel as her support box sat and watched in silence. "It was so tense, not just for the players but for the people around me," former British number one Laura Robson, watching on Centre Court, said. "People are getting their phones out to get the winning moments, and then the phon