Wimbledon champion announces heartbreaking divorce as former partner keeps the cat
Marketa Vondrousova, who won Wimbledon last year, has announced that she is in the process of divorcing her husband, Stepan Simek, who has already moved out with her cat
Reigning Wimbledon champ Marketa Vondrousova reveals the pain of looming divorce - and her husband's taken their cat. The 24 year old tennis star is in the process of divorcing former junior tennis player Stepan Simek less than a year after their wedding and his cheer on her historic victory over Ons Jabeur on Centre Court.
The couple, who began dating when they were teenagers in 2016, endured a whirlwind romance which saw them engaged for just under a year before their summer nuptials last July. Their relationship accelerated to an engagement shortly after Vondrousova bagged a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics in August 2021.
However, their marriage took a turn for the worse, with Simek leaving and taking with him Vondrousovas treasured sphynx cat, Frankie.
An upset Vondrousova told Czech media outlet Blesk: "I'm definitely not having a happy time in the last few weeks. My marriage with Stepan ended a few weeks ago, we broke up. He moved out with the cat."
Vondrousova opened up about her personal life, adding: "It just didn't work out for us. It wasn't what we both imagined, so we agreed not to be together anymore. Now we are formally resolving the divorce, but we have agreed on everything."
The world No. 7 spoke fondly of her soon-to-be ex-husband's support during a critical moment at Wimbledon, saying: "I actually didn't see my coach. I was alone in the waiting room. I chatted a bit with my husband. We talked on the phone. He just said, 'Try to fight, you are playing good, you are playing a great match'. That was it. I think the break helped actually. It was good."
Just a month after an early exit from the Indian Wells Open, she traveled to be by her ailing grandfather's side. She had rushed home to be with him as he battled cancer, and he passed away shortly after her return.
Reflecting on her grandfather's influence, Vondrousova expressed her gratitude: "I learned in America that he was no longer well, so I definitely wanted to see him again and say goodbye. I am very glad that I flew and that I made it. He still perceived that we were together."
She paid tribute to her grandfather's role in her career: "My grandfather was the person who stood at the very beginning of my tennis career, he was there for everything important. Without him, I would never have achieved what I have achieved in my career."
