With eight players in the WTA top 50, what’s the secret to the Czech success?

[p][a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/6G9xZHRGywqvLetqkKrHxp?si=_q-OI8bXSV--RZE6qGXgLA"][b]Listen to the audio version of this article on Spotify![/b][/a][/p][p]Tradition? Some sort of system? The money parents invest in their young daughters? Or their dedication, constant care and travelling to all sorts of tournaments? Perhaps a bit of everything. But success cannot be bought. Nor does it come about through nostalgia, talk or reminiscing about former champions.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/noskova-linda/zHMiAkw6/"]Linda Noskova[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/muchova-karolina/Or4Qa1ye/"]Karolina Muchova[/a] now belong to different generations. When Karolina first broke into the top 100 of the WTA rankings, Linda was still playing amongst the younger juniors. But there is one thing that unites them.[/p][p][b]"Humility, hard work and ambition - those are the key factors. Then you can forget about whether you’ve got four people on your team when you’re 12 or 14. But if you have these values alongside your talent, then you’ll simply beat anyone," [/b]says Czech youth coach Ondrej Dohnal, who has previously helped develop players such as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/siniakova-katerina/OKXs3Wah/"]Katerina Siniakova[/a].[/p][h2]Universal strength of character[/h2][p]The last decade at Wimbledon has truly belonged to Czech women’s tennis. It’s not just about the champions Noskova, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/krejcikova-barbora/2FyACZYi/"]Barbora Krejcikova[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/vondrousova-marketa/EgKYrSR5/"]Marketa Vondrousova[/a] or [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kvitova-petra/0vypNf1t/"]Petra Kvitova[/a]. The list of defeated finalists includes Muchova and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/pliskova-karolina/xGn9KNfO/"]Karolina Pliskova[/a], whilst [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/strycova-barbora/AJcs4IW2/"]Barbora Strycova[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/safarova-lucie/C6Gh75fM/"]Lucie Safarova[/a] have reached the semi-finals. Siniakova, for her part, is a multiple doubles champion.[/p][p][b]Each of the players mentioned has her own unique story; she is distinctive in her own way. Not just in terms of tennis, but as a person too.[/b][/p][embed guid="d0b56724-ba09-432b-ad4b-29033a094e36" url="https://x.com/LevAkabas/status/2076003465688465499?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]If you think back to the winners’ acceptance speeches, one that stands out is that of Krejcikova, who, on the Wimbledon courts two years ago, paid tribute to her role model, coach and former tournament winner Jana Novotna. This time, both finalists delivered powerful speeches. Noskova thanked her mum from the bottom of her heart, and Muchova also showed her class.[/p][p][b]"Often, the losers can’t handle the moment and prefer to keep their speech brief so as not to cause offence. They thank their team and congratulate their opponents. [/b][/p][p][b]"But Karolina’s speech was so powerful that you believed every word she said. She paid tribute to her friend and then told the world that she still plans to win that trophy and come back even stronger. This, too, was incredible publicity for Czech tennis in general,"[/b] notes Dohnal, recalling the moment when tears welled up in the defeated finalist’s eyes and well-deserved applause rang out across the packed arena.[/p][embed guid="59a93fdf-e8c4-43d5-aa88-4254eb17aa0f" url="https://x.com/TheTennisLetter/status/2076001908524020148?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][h2]Dedicated coaches behind the scenes[/h2][p]Czech women’s tennis has once again strengthened its position following the Wimbledon tournament. It has two players in the world’s top 10, and no fewer than eight in the top 50! 10 players made it through to the main draw of the grass-court Grand Slam. A miracle for such a small country?[/p][p]So what exactly is this 'Czech magic' that allows a small country in the heart of Europe to hold its own against, say, the United States, which has a population 30 times larger?[/p][p]When the BBC asked tennis legend Martina Navratilova about this, she didn’t hesitate with her answer: [b]"In the Czech Republic, there are clubs everywhere; every small town has two, three or four clay courts, and there are now far more good coaches."[/b][/p][p]The traditional question that Czech female tennis players are routinely asked following their successful performances is explored further by the head coach of one of the leading Czech tennis academies - the one endorsed not only by its name but also by former world number one Karolina Pliskova.[/p][embed guid="74189b1c-7e19-4eb1-b0d4-6352d94530b5" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfE9M6__724" social-type="youtube" /][p][b]"As well as the fact that you can find a tennis court in almost every small village here, there’s always a coach nearby who can teach the technique. That’s the Czech way, and that’s what the tennis powerhouses are missing,"[/b] says Dohnal.[/p][p]According to him, the jewel in the crown of Czech tennis is a good coach who can teach children the correct basics from a young age whilst keeping budding talents disciplined.[/p][p][b]"Even though the English or Australian federations have budgets a hundred times larger, and also Grand Slams where they exchange wildcards for talented players, or are obliged to invest money in youth development, that Czech DNA is more valuable. We still have people in our system who put their heart and soul into it,"[/b] he adds.[/p][p]But he also warns: [b]"These tennis coaches, invisible to many, who work for 500 (Czech crowns) an hour or less, are doing their job - compared to, say, fitness coaches and other modern sports professions - for less than they’re worth, and they’re gradually starting to disappear."[/b][/p][p]In France, Germany, Britain and other more renowned countries, tennis players may not be doing badly, and more money is flowing into the system, but they are struggling with the fundamental issue: quality human resources.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/muchova-k-Or4Qa1ye/noskova-l-zHMiAkw6/?mid=pGyvP4BC"]Catch up on the women's final at Wimbledon here.[/a][/b][/p]