Wimbledon 2023: Vondrousova, De Groot and Oda make history

London, ENGLAND – In a hugely successful and historic fortnight for Team Yonex at Wimbledon, women's singles champion Marketa Vondrousova (CZE) and wheelchair stars Diede de Groot (NED) and Tokito Oda (JPN) were among the winners. 

History was made as Vondrousova won her first Grand Slam as the first ever unseeded champion of the Venus Rosewater Dish while De Groot claimed her 11th consecutive major and teenager Oda was the youngest ever man in any discipline to win Wimbledon. 

Vondrousova's "impossible" victory 

As Vondrousova said after also becoming the lowest ranked champion since the introduction of the WTA Rankings in 1975, "tennis is crazy".

Until this summer, the Yonex ambassador had only won one match at Wimbledon and she missed last summer's tournament because her wrist was in a plaster cast. The left-handed Czech had thought that playing on grass was "impossible" but as she moved through the draw she gained in confidence and she showed great composure and poise in beating Tunisia's Ons Jabeur 6-4, 6-4.

Speaking afterwards, Vondrousova said she "almost couldn't breathe" in the closing moments, but you wouldn't have known it from watching her. 

This was the second year in a row that a Team Yonex player had lifted the Venus Rosewater Dish after Elena Rybakina (KAZ) last year became the first Kazakhstani to win a Grand Slam title. 

"Special moment" for De Groot 

De Groot enjoyed "an incredibly special moment" on the Wimbledon grass, winning the women's wheelchair title for a third year in a row and for a fifth time overall.

Beating fellow Dutchwoman Jiske Griffioen 6-2, 6-1 extended her tour-level match winning streak to 111 matches and gave her an 11th straight major, while taking her career total to 19 Grand Slam singles titles. De Groot, who dropped just 11 games all tournament, is three quarters of the way to achieving the Grand Slam - winning all four majors in a season - for a third year in a row. 

De Groot also won the women's doubles, partnering Griffioen to a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Japan's Yui Kamiji and South Africa's Kgothatso Montjane. 

Oda is "living the dream" 

Just 17 years old, Oda keeps on making history at the Grand Slams. After his success at Roland-Garros last month, where he took his first major title and also became the World No.1, the Yonex ambassador beat Great Britain's Alfie Hewett 6-4, 6-2 on the grass to become the youngest man in history to win a Wimbledon title.

"It's so amazing. I feel like I'm living a dream. I'm so happy," Oda said. 

Vujovic takes title 

With an illustration of the young talent in Team Yonex, Luna Vujovic (SRB) won the girls' 14-and-under singles title, beating Britain's Heather Smart 6-3, 6-1.