CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova says keeping her focus on qualifying for her first WTA Finals has helped her avoid the dreaded post-Slam slide.
"I'm in the Top 10 for the first time and I don't have points dropping for a while," Vondrousova told WTA Insider. "Now I just need as many points as I can get."
On Thursday, Vondrousova advanced to her first Western & Southern Open quarterfinal by defeating Sloane Stephens 7-5, 6-3. Across her three matches in Cincinnati, Vondrousova has not lost a set. Next, she will test herself against World No.1 Iga Swiatek.
Cincinnati: Draws | Schedule | Scores
After her stunning run to her first major title at Wimbledon last month, Vondrousova was surprised to see the win did not dampen her motivation. If anything, it sparked a drive for more. It was a stark contrast to how she felt after making her first major final at the 2019 French Open, where she lost to Ashleigh Barty.
"After that final, I was feeling down," Vondrousova told WTA Insider. "I expected it to go smoothly, that I would be a top player. That never happens. You have to keep working, you have to stay focused."
"After Wimbledon, I had a week off and then I practiced again. I never felt unmotivated. That was a good thing to have."
After the flurry of post-Wimbledon press and sponsor obligations, Vondrousova found comfort on the court. The summer hard-court season has never been a happy hunting ground for the Czech, but much of that was because of injury. Last week, she made her tournament debut at the Omnium Banque Nationale. This week she came into Cincinnati with an 0-3 record. She's made it past the second round at the US Open just once.
Now, with a Round of 16 in Montreal and a quarterfinal in Cincinnati under her belt, Vondrousova says she can settle down and just play with confidence.
"When we got to Montreal we thought, let's try and get back-to-back matches. I was very grateful to make the Round of 16. I feel like people don't see that. They think we have to play semifinals and finals every week but for us it's amazing to have back-to-back matches before the US Open."
