Welcome to the Functional Tennis Podcast.

I'm your host, Fabio Molle and I bring you insights and lessons from players, coaches, parents and experts who are ingrained in the world of high level tennis.

Today I chat to Czech WTA player Linda Noskova.

20 year old Linda has had an impressive start to her WTA career since winning the French Open junior title in 2021.

She earlier this year achieved the top 25 WTA ranking.

That's impressive.

Consistency is a key factor for her and her success is largely due to her consistent mindset.

Linda reflects on the Czech tennis landscape, the level differences in women's tennis and offers advice to young players.

Aspire and succeed in the sport.

As she looks ahead to her 2025 goals, Linda emphasizes her commitment to continuous improvement and her passion for tennis.

And that will bring the results before we get started to shout out to her podcast partners, Asics.

This is the busiest time of the year for me running the E.

Commerce side the business with our sabre mainly.

But I've managed to get in some consistent tennis most weeks, which I absolutely love.

It's great to be back playing more tennis.

And I'm still heavily testing the new ASIC shoe which has been really good.

It's not type of shoe I normally wear, but it just works for me.

I don't know why or how, but it just really does.

I can't wait to share more about it in January with you.

Okay, here's Linda.

Hi Linda.

Welcome to the Functional Tennis Podcast.

How are you?

Thank you so much for having me.

I'm good.

And tell me it's.

It's late in, in the Czech Republic right now.

Is it called Czech Republic?

Czechia.

How do you call your country these days?

I think it's changed recently.

Has it?

Yeah, it has, but it's, it's kind of stupid.

Like who calls it Czech in real life?

But it's, it's mainly Czech Republic.

Great.

And you have, you're in pre season mode now.

Yes.

Full in practice mode.

How's that going?

How's the body?

I'm good.

I'm feeling all right.

I'm just really excited for Australia.

I'm finally going to play a match and a real tournament in singles and doubles.

So I'm just excited for that and.

I was going to get to this in a while, but going to get to it now.

So Australia, you have a few points to defend.

That's going to be loads of fun.

Yeah, but I don't really think of it that way.

I'm just going to try to go on a tennis court and try to play my best as I always do.

I don't really think about defending this or that or how many points I did here there.

So it's just really not important for me in this part of life.

Okay, that's a great attitude.

That's good to hear as I know pressure and.

So tell me we're going to just cut back a few years.

Like you said, you're only 20, so you're only a few years out of juniors.

You won Roland Garros juniors a couple of years ago.

So the transition of May is absolutely amazing and I can't wait to hear about that.

But come back to when did you actually start playing tennis?

Did your parents play tennis?

How did it all begin?

Yeah, my parents really, especially my mom, she really liked to watch tennis in real life, especially in television.

So yeah, they started just to play a few points with each other.

And when I was like 6, 7, I started to run around the court a little bit, pick up the ball.

So they were just a little annoyed with me.

So they tried to see some local tennis clubs.

And I started in this little city where I basically grew up.

And did you love it straight away?

You just got straight into.

Did you play any other sports when you were young?

I did play a lot of sports.

I think I might have done like six sports and they were a little bit less like a hobby.

So I didn't really take anything serious until I had less of a time with school and all that.

So I just couldn't pick all the sports that I was doing.

So I just one with like, I think athletics, for example, and tennis.

But yeah, tennis was the sport at the end.

Why tennis?

I think I just really liked how competitive it can be and how many choices and how many ways you can have in tennis.

It's such a, such a weird sport at times, but it's really, it's really entertaining when you can, when you can play.

And are you competitive on the dinner table?

No, just on court.

Okay.

And do you have brothers or sisters?

I have four siblings, but all step.

So.

But we're like close family.

And are you competitive with them?

No, they're a little, slightly older than I had than I am.

So they already have their own families.

I'm like, I'm an auntie of seven, I think eight.

So it's.

So it's.

Yeah, I'm never bored when I'm home.

Great.

You kept busy.

And do you remember a day where you decided as.

As a young kid, I'm going all in on tennis, I can't really say.

I think I always just took it as a.

As a fun time that I was having, and I didn't really take it that serious until I could have been like, I don't know, 13, let's say 14 when I started to international tournaments and representing the Czech Republic in teams, Engineers.

And yeah, as the.

As the years went on, I just started playing bigger and bigger tournaments.

So that's when I realized I can maybe do something with the sport and.

School wise, did you.

Did you finish out school or did you end school early?

I started high school, but it wasn't really for me.

But at that time, it was one of just one of a few schools that allowed me to play tennis and educate myself at the same time.

But it wasn't really.

The quality wasn't really there.

You know, I didn't really have a lot of time, so I just stepped away from it.

And I just realized that if I'm gonna give 100% to anything, it's gonna be tennis.

So I'm just gonna finish my high school and maybe college when I'll finish with tennis.

Okay, and were your family happy with that decision or they had no choice and it was all your decision?

This decision came from me right after Roland Garros from Engineers when I won it that year.

So they were like, okay, whatever.

You know, like you.

You kind of proved that you like the sport and that you mean it for real.

So it's not just for me.

It wasn't really like, I wasn't enjoying the school.

I just wanted to do one thing for 100%.

So I just couldn't do both of them at the same time.

So that's why I decided this.

And as a young kid, early teenager, what was your dream?

Did you have a dream in tennis?

Like, I know everybody wants to be world number one and Wimbledon, was that your dream or was it not so crazy?

No, it wasn't crazy at all.

I think, like, the tennis dreams came maybe a couple years ago.

It was really like when I was growing up and starting to playing tennis that I was, you know, going into the sport with, I want to be this and I want to win that.

You know, as a kid, I don't think you really realize what that means or how much work has to be put into that.

So, yeah, I don't really remember if I had any of these childhood, like, dreams.

It just sounds like you just went along with it.

You know, results came, you just kept going.

And Junior French Open, what was it like to win at a Junior Slam.

At the time, it was incredible for me because I played, I didn't really play any adult, you know, WTA tournaments before that.

So I was just mainly focusing on junior's career.

And I did play a few grandsons before that.

It wasn't really that successful.

But in, in Paris that year, it was, it was amazing for me because I know with Barakre Chico, she won the Grand Slam in, on a WTA Tour the same year.

And it was just kind of like a realization that if maybe I can do good in juniors and move, move well to WTA Tour, maybe I can be where she is right now, you know, something like that, a little spark of that.

But yeah, there's obviously a big, big fat line between WTA Tour and juniors.

So it's really, it's really tough at times to, you know, go from juniors to adults.

And how important do you think playing junior tournaments are?

Like, do you think players should try and play the senior, like the futures straight as soon as they can, or do you think they need to put in a few years in the juniors?

Like, if you look back at your career, would you start playing WTA?

Sorry, with futures earlier, now it's gone okay for you?

So it's probably.

I'm not sure what you're going to say here.

No, I don't think I would change anything in how I did it or when I played what.

So I think juniors are definitely an important part of this whole journey.

So you got to start somewhere.

You're probably going to be seeing these faces that you're seeing in Junior Grand Slams in the next five, 10 years.

So, you know, but at the same time, it's really, really tough to even imagine if you can go into the, you know, top 30, 50 when you're 16 or 17.

So, so yeah, it's, it's tricky sometimes.

And what's been your secret to get from when, like to Junior French open to top 25 in a couple of years?

Like.

Well, it's, it's special.

Only special players move that quick.

And if you look at your career so far, those two years, what's changed or what's allowed you to move so quickly?

I think just consistency, I would say.

I don't really want to do.

You know, I didn't want to win a Grand Slam when I was 17.

I knew it was kind of impossible at this time that I'm playing, but I had realistic dreams and goals that, you know, that I knew that if I put the work in and if I'll just don't stop and just keep on playing and trying to play my best at all times that maybe I can get somewhere.

Yeah.

And what sort of team did you have in place?

Well, I was practicing from I think in the beginning of 2021.

We started with the coach that I'm done playing with right now.

So yeah, I don't really like to make a lot of changes or a lot of, you know, different decisions throughout the years.

So I just try to keep on going in the same track.

And obviously you won Monterey.

How does that compare?

I saw recently you did a skydive.

Yeah.

How does winning a tournament, WTA tournament compared to a skydive?

Which were you more nervous for?

Just, I mean the tournament for sure.

No, but the skydive was fun.

I had a lot of time to think about it because I got it as a gift.

So I just, you know, I.

I knew that I wanted to do it and do it this year.

But the Monterey title was.

Was quite.

Yeah.

Tough as well for the head.

Why I wasn't really going there in the.

Let's say with the best space in my mind.

You know, I didn't really play very well in Cincinnati a way before that.

So it was a bit tougher to get used to the conditions, you know, in Mexico.

In Mexico it's the humidity is really tough at times.

So we were playing a lot of night.

Night sessions, so.

So yeah, it was hard at times, but I think the courts and the weather and the whole, you know, all the conditions kind of, kind of, you.

Know, sues my game and that must, that must happen.

Well, I see it happen a lot where somebody's on a bad run and they win a tournament or you know, they save a couple of match points and then they win the tournament.

I don't bet, but if I did, I'd look at people who save match points in tournaments and they're guaranteed they're going far in determined.

What is it that.

Do you just have no all pressure just drops or what's the feeling?

Tough to tell in these moments.

Sometimes I'm so deep in the match that I don't even realize it in such situation.

But sometimes I just believe that if I just keep on playing good and keep on playing my game that maybe I can get out of this situation.

So generally the depends on also who you're playing if it's, you know, an a comfortable player for you or not.

So it's different at times.

Yeah.

And I want to quickly touch on obviously the Czech tennis game.

I've been to Lucky to beat a few top junior tennis tournaments between under 12, under 14, 16.

And there's always so many Czech players.

It's crazy.

Like, it's like it must be the number one sport in the Czech Republic.

I'm not.

Is it?

I.

I would say maybe hockey is the first one, but tennis is definitely in top three for sure.

It's crazy like how many good Czech players there are.

So obviously the more good players are, then there's better chance of great players coming.

True.

But what's the secret?

Why does the Czech Republic produce so many great players?

And this is not just.

It's historically they've done it.

Yeah.

I get asked this question a lot.

You know, everyone wants to know that if there is like a secret or something.

But I always give this answer, the same answer that I think is just coming from the history.

You know, we can see a lot of.

A lot of Czech players back in the days playing and being one of the best players in the world.

So I think just the parents and the kids want to copy that and want to be something.

Something like these legends, basically.

So.

So yeah, we got a lot of juniors.

It's crazy.

So many and they're so good, but like they're.

Obviously you get confidence from having so many great players, but I think the coaches must be good, you know, the structure.

There must be plenty of courts over there.

The weather's.

What's the weather like?

It's getting a bit cold now.

Yeah.

But the conditions are really, really fine.

I mean, the indoor courts in Czech Republic are really good quality.

I gott that it's not something like in France, let's say sometimes it's a little bit colder in there, even indoors.

But I think the Czech Republic is really prepared for, you know, for these conditions.

Yeah.

Because obviously the excuses you normally hear is, oh, we've no money, the country has no money, or we've no indoor courts, or we don't have clay courts.

You know, the weather's not right for us.

So, you know, I don't think the conditions are perfect in Czech Republic, but you've obviously done things to make them as best as possible.

That's what it sounds like.

You don't make excuses.

Yeah, no, yeah, definitely.

I think that the clubs take tennis very seriously and they really do believe that there can be another girl or boy that is 10 years old right now and she or he can be one of the best players in the world in the next couple of years.

So, yeah, there's always someone in any club, wherever you go.

In whatever city there's a tennis club.

So.

So it's easy.

From your junior days, do you still have battles with anybody on court now?

Anybody the same age or a year or two younger or older?

I do know a couple of girls, especially, like from Russia, USA or Czech Republic.

They're the same age as me or similar when.

When I was meeting them in juniors, and now we keep on meeting just in tour, so.

So it's nice sometimes when you play doubles, so it's.

It's great.

And, you know, let's say you lost a match or won a match as a junior against one of these players, does that still stand to you now saying, okay, I beat them when they're 15, I could do it easy.

Does that still give you the confidence now to.

To beat them?

Or is there some players you still struggle with, who you struggled with back then?

You know, a lot of times the commentators on TV don't talk about, you know, how you guys played as juniors, and there's a lot of history there.

It might be your first match on the WTA Tour, but you guys know each other's games inside out because you've played, like, a load of times as juniors.

So does that really make an impact in the senior game?

Not for me.

Like, personally, I don't really take a lot of thoughts from the previous matches into the next ones, especially when I lost them.

You know, like, I'm not really feeling like, oh, I lost with her.

Now I'm gonna be, you know, more careful or something like that.

I'm still gonna play my game.

But, yeah, I know it's.

For example, with Diana Schneider, you know, we're the same age and around the same ranking, and we played countless times in juniors, but we never really met on WT Tour just yet.

So you win, maybe.

Wait, you played her the final role on Garros?

Was it semi, final, semi, final, semifinal, and I think in tarps maybe a couple of years back and then in some teams.

How did you do in Tarbs, by the way?

Tarbs?

I did final one year when I was there.

Yeah.

Okay, great.

And a question I ask a lot of our player guests who, who are at the top of the game is level differences.

So if I ask you, how do you explain the level difference on the women's game?

We've had more men on answer this question.

So it's great to have a female on.

But from, like, let's say from the lower level, the women's game, to challenge to where you are now, what are the main differences in those levels, I.

Think just going from juniors to, to this type of tournament I'm playing right now is.

It's a really long journey.

I don't think that a lot of juniors right now realize it, but sometimes they're very confident.

I gotta say that a lot of them seem like they're already on top of the game, but it's really long.

It doesn't look like it, but it takes a couple of years and a lot of.

A lot of hours on Gordon.

But let's say from a game perspective, let's say even from a top 300 player and a top hundred player, what are the differences in their game to be able to allow you to play at that level and mental as well?

Yeah, I think just keep on playing these matches against one of the best players in the world.

It kind of gives you the confidence and the sense that you can actually play with them.

And if you get to Grand Slam, it's like a dream come true when you're there for the first time ever.

So you kind of realize that if you got here, maybe if you work even harder and change this or that and, or get better at this, then you can maybe be seated next year or this and that.

So it's just these baby steps that really matter.

And consistency, as you mentioned, for sure.

Yeah.

And you're, you're back home now.

You're.

You're training pre season.

I'm sure you get loads of juniors coming up to.

You obviously want their photos with you.

They probably want to practice with you, but obviously the parents may ask for some advice or they may ask for advice.

What advice do you offer Czech juniors?

Yeah, sometimes they come up and they're like, what, what do I do now?

Or what's the secret?

How do I get there?

And I, I don't really.

I don't really know.

I think it' really, it's really.

It really matters just on one person.

You know, if you're on court.

So how you act and what do you do or how you think is just.

It really matters in whatever type of, you know, profession you are or on whatever level you are.

Okay.

So, yeah, so respect and respect to the game really, isn't it?

And, and your team.

And also question who's the boss, you or the coach?

I think it's 50.

50.

No, but sometimes depends in what.

Like encore.

I usually just try to think and do what I want to do.

I really look at my coaches in the box and ask them for help or something.

I never, I have never done that.

So I hope.

I hope that I will never do that.

With all due respect to my coaches, we're just a great team.

So whenever I need help, they help me.

So it's fine.

So are you a no for on court coaching?

Okay, that's good.

That's good.

That's.

That's a good sign.

That's a good sign.

And what 20, 2025 is coming ahead.

I'm sure you're planning it.

You have your goals.

Do you set a ranking goal or do you set a performance goal?

How do you plan for 2025 for each year?

I don't really set a ranking goal.

I just try to get better as a tennis player and just to improve each and every movement on cord I have and I'm working on.

So, yeah, I just want to get better at my game and the results will come automatically, I think.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And if you weren't a tennis player today, what do you think you'd be doing?

I would definitely be into any sort of type of sport, for sure.

I was raised that way, so I would keep doing that or I would go into school and do something maybe with animals.

And that really interests me.

Hey, nice.

Okay, Linda, thank you very much.

Hope preseason finishes well and looking forward to seeing you playing Australia.

Thank you so much.