“He has to stay home!” Why Marketa Vondrousova’s husband might miss out on watching her Wimbledon semi-final

If you’ve got to a maiden Wimbledon semi-final, you might expect your spouse to fly to London to make sure they’re cheering you on.

Marketa Vondrousova’s husband, however, looks to be staying in Prague this week.

“I think for semis he won’t come,” she told journalists after beating Jessica Pegula 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 to reach the last four. “We’ll see what happens. He has to work. He has to take care of our cat. He has to stay home!”

Her words were greeted with laughter. Even if he was at home, he proved invaluable keeping his wife calm during a third-set rain delay that ultimately turned the match in her favour.

Semi-final secured.

The emotion pours out as Marketa Vondrousova seals her place in the last four#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/bUrxTupHkq

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 11, 2023

“I was alone in the waiting room. I chat[ted] a bit with my husband. We talked on the phone. That was it. It was a quick break, so I didn’t do much.

“But, yeah, I just wanted to go out there and just try to stay in the match and try to win.”

Asked what he said, she added: “He just said, ‘Try to fight. You are playing good. You are playing great match.’

“Yeah, that was it. I mean, I think the break helped actually. It was good.”

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