‘I want to make a difference’: Noskova looks forward to life after Wimbledon triumph

Unimpressed by the trappings of success, the new women’s champion is keen to use her enhanced status to help those less fortunate

Most new Wimbledon champions have a bucket list of things they want to do, gifts they would like to buy themselves or family, or even future goals of winning more grand slam titles. But Linda Noskova is not your average first-time major winner. The 21-year-old Czech is surely the first woman to win Wimbledon with a nose ring – “I was maybe counting a little bit [on] someone having some things to say about it, but no one said anything bad” – but she intends to use her newfound platform for good.

“This is definitely one of the main [reasons] why I’m playing tennis,” she said, while munching some pasta in a small interview room at Wimbledon, a few hours after her triumph. “I want to have the voice not only on court but off court to possibly make a difference about some stuff. If I’m going to start with literally, recycling or helping nature, or helping people in need in different countries, it’s all on my bucket list.”