Karolina Muchova will contest the first Grand Slam final of her career on Saturday. The Czech star takes on world No 1 and defending champion Iga Swiatek at the French Open. And she will be able to count on the support of her good friend Rebel Wilson.
Muchova has a reputation for disturbing top players at Grand Slams but has never been able to maintain a consistent ranking of her own due to injuries. Unseeded at this year’s French Open, she won the last five games of her semi-final to upset Aryna Sabalenka 7-6(5) 6-7(5) 7-5.
Her reputation for defeating top players dates back to the 2018 US Open, where she downed two-time Major champion Garbina Muguruza. And it was a performance that caught the eye of Rebel Wilson, who watched on from the stands and then struck up and unlikely friendship with Muchova.
Speaking at the 2019 US Open a year after they formed a bond, Muchova said: “You know, she texted me last year at the US Open. She likes tennis. We’re friends. She’s super nice. Yeah, it’s crazy.
“She texted me on Twitter last year when I beat Muguruza, so she texted me. I was, like, ‘Wow’. I was surprised about that. Yeah, she’s just super chill and super nice person.” And the Pitch Perfect star has continued to support the Czech both at tournaments and from afar.
She was in Muchova’s player box for her match against Elina Svitolina in 2019 and celebrated her good friend’s achievement when she upset Ash Barty at the 2021 Australian Open. Despite being an Aussie herself, Wilson was excited to see the 26-year-old upset the world No 1.
The actress and comedian shared an Instagram story of herself watching the match and wrote: “Obviously Ash is an Aussie legend and we’re all rooting for her… but also very proud of my friend @karolinamuchova.”
There’s no doubt she will be rooting for the former world No 19 again on Saturday. Muchova was forced to retire injured from last year’s French Open and 12 months later, she has enjoyed the best tournament of her career.
Speaking about the low moments after her semi-final victory, Muchova said: “There has been many moments, many lows, I would say, from one injury to another. For sure when I missed Australian Open last year, and I was in a pretty bad state healthy-wise, I was working out a lot to try to get back.
“You never know. Some doctors told me, you know, maybe you’ll not do sport anymore. But I always kept it kind of positive in my mind and tried to work and do all the exercises to be able to come back.”
As the world No 49 with one career title, Muchova will be the underdog against the world No 1 and two-time French Open champion. But the Czech star does have a 5-0 record against top three players, something she says gives her a boost of confidence despite conceding that she isn’t the favourite.
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