"I hope she's not just happy to be there": Martina Navratilova wants to see desire to win WTA Finals from Marketa Vondrousova

Martina Navratilova analyzed Marketa Vondrousova's chances in the 2023 WTA Finals.

The 24-year-old Czech tennis player will be making her debut in the WTA Finals after her surprising Wimbledon victory. Vondrousova enters the tournament with limited match practice, as she hasn't played since her quarterfinal exit at the US Open, and her most recent appearance at the China Open resulted in a first-round defeat against Anhelina Kalinina.

Vondrousova will return to competitive play after a four-week break, and her performance remains uncertain. Tennis legend Martina Navratilova shared her thoughts on Vondrousova and her prospects in the tournament:

“It’s the one to win, if you’re only going to win one. And I think Marketa’s backed it up with some decent results. Her ranking went up a little more because she had better results than a year ago. She’s got a nice all-around game. She still has room for improvement in her shot selection and shot placement and aggression,” 18-times Grand Slam champion said.

“She’s decent at the net. She can mix it up a bit more. I’m quite happy she broke through at Wimbledon. We’ll see how she likes the court in Cancun, but she’s never come anywhere near qualifying for the year-end final. So I hope she’s not just happy to be there,” Navratilova added.

Vondrousova began the season outside the top 100 and showed an upward trajectory throughout the year, reaching her peak by winning Wimbledon and achieving other notable results. In 2019, she reached the final of the French Open at the age of just 20, and her tennis career was expected to ascend rapidly. Unfortunately, injuries prevented her from playing regularly, hampering her progress.

The Czech player was drawn into the Chetumal Group, along with Iga Swiatek (2nd), Coco Gauff (4th), and Ons Jabeur (6th). Vondrousova's opening match will be against the Polish player Swiatek, who currently leads their head-to-head record 2-0.