Marketa Vondrousova: The Tactician’s Return to the Top
Marketa Vondrousova proved that grass isn’t just for the big hitters. By using variety, drop shots, and awkward angles, she disrupts the rhythm of power players. Her “crafty” style is a great reminder that on grass, intelligence can often beat raw strength. After a career defined by resilience, Vondrousova enters 2026 as one of the most dangerous tacticians on the tour.
2025: The Year of the Great Rebound
The 2025 season was a masterclass in perseverance for Vondrousova. After being sidelined for the latter half of 2024 with a shoulder injury, she made a thunderous return to form during the grass-court swing.
The highlight of her year came in June at the Berlin Open (WTA 500). Ranked as low as No. 164 upon her return, Vondrousova dismantled a field of power hitters—including a stunning victory over World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals—to claim the title. It was her first trophy since her historic 2023 Wimbledon win and catapulted her back into the Top 100. She carried that momentum to the US Open, where she notched consecutive Top 10 wins over Jasmine Paolini and Elena Rybakina to reach the quarterfinals, ultimately finishing the year back inside the World’s Top 40.
2026 Ambition: Consistency and the “Hidden” Weapon
As she enters 2026, Marketa’s ambition is to shed the “injury-prone” label and find the consistency that has sometimes eluded her. Now ranked No. 32 and seeded once again at the majors, her goal is to return to the Top 10 and prove that her variety-first game is the ultimate counter to the “Big Three” era of power.
Her tactical focus for 2026 is on her serve-and-slice combination. By keeping her opponents off-balance with low-skidding slices and sudden drop shots, she aims to dictate the tempo of matches without having to rely on raw velocity.
Marketa Vondrousova’s 2026 Tournament Calendar
Vondrousova is planning a comprehensive schedule to maximize her points and maintain match sharpness across all surfaces:
| Month | Tournament | Surface |
| January | Brisbane International | Hard |
| January | Australian Open (Melbourne) | Hard |
| February | Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open | Hard |
| February | Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships | Hard |
| March | Indian Wells (BNP Paribas Open) | Hard |
| March | Miami Open | Hard |
| May | Mutua Madrid Open | Clay |
| May | Internazionali BNL d’Italia (Rome) | Clay |
| May/June | French Open (Roland Garros) | Clay |
| June | Berlin Open (Title Defense) | Grass |
| June/July | The Championships, Wimbledon | Grass |
| August | Cincinnati Open | Hard |
| August | US Open (New York) | Hard |
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Tactical Spotlight: The “Vondrousova Drop”
On grass, the ball already stays low, but Marketa’s drop shot is particularly lethal because she disguises it perfectly behind her heavy topspin forehand. Look for her to use this “tactician’s trap” throughout the 2026 summer to force power hitters like Sabalenka and Rybakina to move vertically, where they are least comfortable.
