Reigning Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova has revealed she has broken up with her husband of two years, just months after he celebrated her Center Court triumph.
The 24-year-old married Stepan Simek, two years older than her and a former junior tennis player, in July 2022 after a year of engagement.
Simek, whose promising tennis career ended due to injury, and Vondrousova had known each other since they were teenagers.
The two began dating in 2016 before Simek, an IT manager in the Czech Republic, proposed in August 2021, shortly after Vondrousova won silver at the Tokyo Olympics.
The couple married a year later, but their marriage collapsed and the Wimbledon champion revealed her husband had moved away and taken his beloved cat with him.
Marketa Vondrousova has revealed that she broke up with her husband Stepan Simek just nine months after he celebrated his Wimbledon triumph.
Vondrousova’s husband stayed in Prague during her Wimbledon race last year to care for their cat named Frankie (right).
Vondrousova became the first Wimbledon women’s singles champion last year.
“I’m definitely not going through a happy moment in recent weeks,” the world number 7 told a Czech media outlet. Blesk.
‘Our marriage to Stepan ended a few weeks ago, we broke up. She left with the cat.
“It just didn’t work out for us. It wasn’t what we both imagined, so we agreed not to be together anymore. We are now formally settling the divorce, but we agree on everything.’
Simek made headlines last summer when he missed his wife’s impressive run at Wimbledon while caring for Frankie, their sphynx cat, in Prague.
The 26-year-old was present at Vondrousova’s first Grand Slam final in 2019 when she lost in straight sets to Ashleigh Barty in the Roland-Garros final.
But after beating Elina Svitolina 6-3 6-3 in the semi-final, Vondrousova revealed that she had texted her husband to discuss the possibility of him flying to London for the final and said they agreed to call a cat sitter.
‘He is [Simek] I will come tomorrow with my sister. “We texted the cat sitter to come to our house,” she said.
Simek took his place in his wife’s box for the final and cried as he beat No. 6 seed Ons Jabeur 6-4 6-4 to win the first Grand Slam tournament of his career.
Earlier in the tournament, Vondrousova had credited her husband with inspiring her comeback against Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals.
With rain forecast, play was suspended for 20 minutes to allow the roof of court one to close with the American leading 3-1 in the deciding set.
When play resumed, Pegula took a 4-1 lead before Vondrousova won the next five games in a row to secure her place in the semi-final.
An emotional Simek shed tears as he watched his wife defeat Ons Jabeur in the final
Simek flew to London to be with his wife at the final and cheer her on from his box.
Simek proposed to Vondrousova in August 2021 after she returned from the Tokyo Olympics.
Vondrousova claimed that the separation from her husband had been agreed on amicable terms.
And Vondrousova revealed that her husband’s pep talk had inspired her comeback.
“I didn’t actually see my coach,” he said.
“I was alone in the waiting room. I chatted a little with my husband. We talked on the phone. He just said, ‘Try to fight, you’re playing well, you’re having a great game.’
‘That was it. I think the rest really helped. It was ok.’
Simek’s divorce comes just a month after Vondrousova returned home early from the Indian Wells Open to be with her grandfather, who was being treated for cancer and died a few days later.
“In the United States I found out that he was no longer feeling well, so I definitely wanted to see him again and say goodbye,” she said.
‘I am very happy to have flown and to have achieved it. I still sensed that we were together.
‘My grandfather was the person who was at the beginning of my tennis career, he was there for everything important. “Without him, I would never have achieved what I achieved in my career.”