Marie Bouzková is a counter-puncher who makes grass work through anticipation, flat ball striking and low, awkward returns rather than power. Her 2026 summer was her best on the surface, and she finished 18th in the women’s GTC Grass Rankings with a rating of 107, up from 26th.
Grass at a glance
- GTC Grass Rating: 107, 18th in the women’s rankings (26th before the season)
- Pillars: Lawn Form 72, Arsenal 56, Wimbledon 48, Nerve 42
- Nationality: Czech Republic
- Best Wimbledon result: Quarter-final (2022)
- Grass titles: Nottingham 2026 (singles); Birmingham 2021 and Eastbourne 2025 (doubles)
- Plays: Right-handed, two-handed backhand
How Marie plays on grass
Bouzková wins on grass by taking time away rather than by hitting through opponents. She stands close to the baseline, returns early and keeps the ball low and flat, which on a quick court forces bigger hitters to play from below the net. Her movement and court sense are excellent, and years of doubles success on grass have given her sound volleys and a feel for when to come forward.
What the surface exposes is the serve. Her first serve is reliable but does not earn many free points, so she has to hold through rallies, and powerful servers can hold against her quickly. That is the main reason her Arsenal pillar sits at 56. Her Nerve score of 42 is the lowest of her pillars: she has lost several close sets against higher-ranked players, though her 2026 Nottingham final, which went to three sets, showed improvement in that area.
Grass record
Her standout grass result before 2026 was the 2022 Wimbledon quarter-final. She beat Danielle Collins, Ann Li, Alison Riske and Caroline Garcia before losing to Ons Jabeur in three sets. She reached the fourth round again in 2023, but lost in the second round in 2024 and 2025. Her grass doubles record is stronger, with titles in Birmingham in 2021 with Lucie Hradecká and Eastbourne in 2025 with Anna Danilina.
The 2026 grass season
The swing began with a narrow loss at Queen’s to Donna Vekić, 6-7(9), 3-6, who went on to win the title as a lucky loser. Her rating rose from 98 to 99. In Nottingham, seeded 4th, she beat Tereza Valentová, the lucky loser Hannah Klugman, Tatjana Maria and Karolina Plíšková, then Emma Navarro 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-2 in the final. It was her fourth career singles title and her first on grass, following Prague in 2022 and 2025 and Bogotá earlier in 2026. Her rating moved to 103.
At Wimbledon, seeded 21st, she beat Talia Gibson, Tyra Caterina Grant and Liudmila Samsonova to reach the fourth round, where Elise Mertens beat her. That carried her rating from 103 to 107.
Looking ahead to 2027
Bouzková will defend a title in Nottingham, and repeating a deep run there is the most direct way to protect her rating. The area that limits her ceiling is the serve: a few more free points a set would make her much harder to beat over three sets on grass. A realistic target for 2027 is a return to the Wimbledon quarter-finals, which she has reached once, alongside another tour-level grass final.
