Barbora Strýcová wins women's doubles Grand Slam at Wimbledon

Barbora Strýcová has become the second Czech to win a Grand Slam at the Wimbledon 2023 tennis championships, following a victory on Sunday night in the women’s doubles alongside her Taiwanese partner Hsieh Su-Wei.

The two veterans – both 37 years of age – bested the Belgian-Australian duo of Elise Mertens and Storm Sanders in straight sets (7:5, 6:4). This result was unexpected: Mertens and Sanders were seeded third in the tournament, whereas Strýcová and Su-wei were unranked.

Strýcová said she was incredulous at first that the victory actually happened. "But I have so many people here and so many of them have pinched me saying that it's true. I'm looking forward to enjoying it now,” said Strýcová after her victory, which she called unbelievable.

In her post-match interview, Strýcová explained that she gave birth to her son recently, making the victory even more special. She also said that she had not played with Hsieh "for a long time."

She told journalists that she would soon meet with the winner of the women's singles event, Czech Markéta Vondroušová (who also was unseeded in the tournament). "There will definitely be long celebrations. We'll probably have a few drinks," she added.

Following Sunday’s victory, the Czech is ranked 35th in the world in women’s doubles after jumping a whopping 248 spots in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings.

She was previously been ranked number one in the world exactly four years ago. Hsieh is ranked 11th and has won six Grand Slams in her career. This is Strýcová’s second Grand Slam title; she won at Wimbledon in 2019. She made the final of the 2020 Australian Open previously, although lost in the final.

The Czech announced earlier this year that 2023 would be her "farewell tour" and that she would retire by the end of the season. She plans to play the fourth Grand Slam event of the calendar in the U.S. and the Prague Open in late July and early August. "This fairytale is written and has a happy ending," Strýcová told journalists.