"Serena Williams, of course. She’s the GOAT" - Linda Noskova outlines her tennis inspiration as she looks ahead to semi-final clash against Sabalenka

Linda Noskova is again showcasing why she belongs among the top WTA tennis players after reaching the semi-final stage of Indian Wells. She booked that spot after ending Talia Gibson's fairytale run, and after the match, she underlined who her tennis inspiration was.

A dominant patch in the first set saw her streak ahead from the qualifier, but Gibson was not going to let her win that easily. She broke right at the start of the second set, which turned out to be enough to force a final deciding set. Noskova showed her class once more, breaking at each end of the set to continue her campaign in California.

The winning feeling had not yet sunken in, with the blistering heat still on her mind. "I don’t think it will feel amazing until the end of the day because I’m still too hot from being outside," she told the Tennis Channel. "But yeah, I’m glad I survived."

At the age of 21, Noskova has already firmly asserted herself as a top 20 WTA player. She reached the China Open final last year as well as the 2024 Australian Open quarterfinal, showing that she can compete with the best in the most gamarous competitions.

Indian Wells is no different after a fantastic campaign, and will be wanting to continue this form up after her win against Gibson. "These kinds of matches are always tough to find a rhythm in, especially today against such a big server. As I said on court, she was unbreakable in the second set," she conceded. "It was frustrating at times because you want to see the game going your way, but you just can’t put the return back into play. So I had to hold my serve and start over again in the third set."

She did not think that it was her experience seeing her through in this tie in a very closey fought tie. "It could have gone either way. If I hadn’t held my serve in the third set and she broke me once, it could have gone the same way as the second set. But I definitely wanted to stay focused from the start and finish the set the way I did in the first one."

When asked who her tennis inspiration was while growing up, she chose the 23-time Grand Slam champion. "Serena Williams, of course," she said without hesitation. "She’s the GOAT."

The Czech number two also gave a shoutout to one of her fellow Czech players. "But it was either Serena worldwide or Petra Kvitová in the Czech Republic. Petra was always at the top of my list when I started playing tennis. My family were big tennis fans, so the sport was always around me."

There were a number of talented Czech players she could have chosen, with the likes of Martina Navratilova, Karolína Pliskova and Hana Mandlikova were all possible candidates. However, no one came close to Williams who was a firm idol for Noskova.

Instead of setting goals and targets like many players, Noskova was not putting any pressure to succeed in certain events or disciplines, just wanting to have fun.

"My process is just to enjoy my time on court and feel like myself. I want to find my game at as many tournaments as possible," she outlined. "It’s never easy. It has never been easy, and I feel like it will never be easy. But I’m not setting standards or goals for the next season or the next tournament. For me, that feels pointless."

There was a sense of confidence surrounding Noskova, and rightly so after reaching a second WTA 1000 semi-final. "I know that when I trust my game, I can compete with good players and have great results. Whatever comes, comes."

This is linked to her relaxed mindset which helpes her stay calm and composed when on court. "I try to do as many normal things as possible. When I have my friends around or when we have a relaxed, easygoing mood off the court, it shows on court for me. So I try to relax as much as possible — not on the court, obviously."

Aryna Sabalenka has played at a very high level this year as she looks to get back on track after a frustrating Australian Open final defeat. She is in a rampant mood to succeed and will look to dispose of Noskova with efficiency and ease.

Noskova will look to cause an upset and reach a seventh WTA final. She was still unsure on how to tackle the four-time Grand Slam champion. "We both have aggressive styles and both want to use our serves as much as possible. Aryna is an amazing player and I look up to her in many ways. She’s been consistent for so many years. It will definitely be a big challenge for me, but I’ll step on court with the mindset of it being like a first-round match."