Former Grand Slam finalist has theory over why Marketa Vondrousova struggled vs Emma Raducanu at Wimbledon

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Marketa Vondrousova was looking to make her presence felt at Wimbledon, having won the title two years ago.

The Czech star began her campaign with a convincing 6-1, 7-6 win over number 32 seed McCartney Kessler, setting up an intriguing second-round tie with home-favorite Emma Raducanu.

Inspired by the crowd on Centre Court, Raducanu eased past Vondrousova 6-3, 6-3, knocking the 26-year-old out of Wimbledon.

With Vondrousova now 1-2 since winning Wimbledon in 2023, questions must be asked over what’s going wrong for her at SW19.

One former Grand Slam finalist has a theory, which he shared in the aftermath of Vondrousova’s defeat.

Luke Saville thinks Marketa Vondrousova struggled with ‘expectation’ against Emma Raducanu

2020 Australian Open doubles finalist Luke Saville gave his verdict on Vondrousova’s Wimbledon exit during the latest episode of ‘The Tennis’ podcast.

“I feel like [Marketa] Vondrousova, 2023 champ, sometimes players play better when they’re away from the limelight,” he said.

“No one was expecting her to win that one, and now, coming in, with form, on Centre Court, now there are expectations.”

Vondrousova looked to be back to her best in Berlin in the Wimbledon warm-up tournament, as she beat several top grass-court players on her way to the title.

• 2025 Berlin Open 1R – Marketa Vondrousova beat Madison Keys, 7-5, 7-6
• 2025 Berlin Open 2R – Marketa Vondrousova beat Diana Shnaider, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6
• 2025 Berlin Open QF – Marketa Vondrousova beat Ons Jabeur, 6-4, 6-1
• 2025 Berlin Open SF – Marketa Vondrousova beat Aryna Sabalenka, 6-2, 6-4
• 2025 Berlin Open F – Marketa Vondrousova beat Wang Xinyu, 7-6, 3-6, 6-2

Taking down world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals, Vondrousova quickly inserted herself into the title picture at Wimbledon.

It wasn’t to be, however, as she lost in straight sets to the British number one, whom Saville believes could be one to look out for at the All England Club.

“I think [Emma] Raducanu, she’s destined for a run here,” he said.

Saville also took the time to praise another British star for his efforts at Wimbledon.

“Cam Norrie, been struggling a little bit the last 12 months or so, slipped to almost out of the top 100. The thing I love about Cam, a former semi-finalist, just plugs away, keeps ticking away, probably close to 30 now, still working as hard as ever,” he said.

“Just shows that, if you keep your head down, keep working hard, the results might not initially come, but you have to trust the process and trust that the results will come, and I think he’s a testament to that.”

Norrie beat Frances Tiafoe in his second-round match to book his place in the third round of Wimbledon for the fourth time.

The Brit will now take on Mattia Bellucci for a place in the fourth round on Friday, July 4.

What’s next for Marketa Vondrousova after Wimbledon exit?

Vondrousova would have hoped for a far better showing on the grass, but she won’t want to dwell on the defeat for too long, as she now sets her sights on the US Open, which begins next month.

Winning 64% of her matches at Flushing Meadows, Vondrousova has reached the quarterfinals once before, back in 2023.

• 2017 US Open – Marketa Vondrousova lost in 1R to Svetlana Kuznetsova
• 2018 US Open – Marketa Vondrousova lost in 4R to Lesia Tsurenko
• 2020 US Open – Marketa Vondrousova lost in 2R to Aliaksandra Sasnovich
• 2021 US Open – Marketa Vondrousova lost in 2R to Daria Kasatkina
• 2023 US Open – Marketa Vondrousova lost in QF to Madison Keys

Losing to Madison Keys two years ago, Vondrousova missed out on a place in the US Open semi-finals.

Vondrousova also reached the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Open in 2023, as she showed real improvements on hard courts.

Historically, Vondrousova had played her best tennis on clay, although her Wimbledon victory and US hard-court swing results in 2023 proved she has the potential to be an all-surface player.

The world number 73 will no doubt look to improve upon her 63% win rate on hard courts when she returns to action.

Vondrousova is likely to compete at the 2025 Canadian Open, which begins on Monday, July 28.