The WTA Tour's biggest names are prepping for a challenge, eyeing next Monday's start of the Wimbledon Grand Slam while watching the sport's dark horses dominate the grass court.

Wimbledon's 2023 champ Markéta Vondroušová stole the spotlight this weekend, as the injury-plagued Czech pro earned her first title in two years at the 2025 Berlin Open.

Even more, the world No. 91 player claimed the trophy in style, taking down top tennis stars like world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, No. 6 Madison Keys, and No. 12 Diana Shnaider en route to besting China's No. 33 Wang Xinyu in Sunday's back-and-forth three-set final.

"I feel like it could not have been better for us here," the 25-year-old said after the win. "We were all working really hard to get me back [from an August 2024 shoulder surgery] and I felt like, you know, we came here to try to win the first match and now this is happening. So I'm just very grateful to be standing here."

Vondroušová will look to ride the weekend's momentum to a potential second Wimbledon trophy, a title that has so far eluded every player currently ranked in the WTA's Top 10 — including Sabalenka, No. 2 Coco Gauff, and No. 8 Iga Świątek.

Of the sport's current elite tier of players, only Italy's No. 4 Jasmine Paolini has appeared in the London Grand Slam's final, falling to Czechia's No. 17 Barbora Krejčíková in the 2024 title match.

The highest-ranked previous Wimbledon champion is Kazakhstan's No. 11 Elena Rybakina, who hoisted the trophy in 2022.

Wimbledon will begin on Monday, with French Open-winner Iga Swiatek looking to take her first grass court major title. 

Others looking to challenge her include Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka, Ons Jabeur, and 2023 Wimbledon champ Marketa Vondrousova. 

Grass isn't the strongest surface for some of the world’s heaviest hitters, including Swiatek, Gauff, and Sabalenka. Jabeur, meanwhile, will be looking to win her first Grand Slam singles title after falling short in last year’s final. 

But the tournament’s proximity to the Paris Olympics — combined with the fact that the Olympics will be played on clay courts — has resulted in a number of key players dropping out of the Summer Games.

Sabalenka, Jabeur, and American Madison Keys are among a group of top players declining to participate in the Summer Games, citing health and fitness concerns in relation to a tight schedule played on multiple surfaces.

"We have decided that the quick change of surface and the body’s adaptation required would put my knee at risk and jeopardize the rest of my season," Jabeur posted on social media regarding her Olympic withdrawal.

"It’s too much with the scheduling," Sabalenka echoed. "It’s just too much. I made the decision to take care of my health."

Both Swiatek and Gauff, who excel on clay courts, are still planning to participate this summer in Paris.

Marketa Vondrousova became the first unseeded player to win the Wimbledon women’s singles title, defeating world No. 6 Ons Jabeur in straight sets Saturday.

The 24-year-old from Czech Republic entered the 2023 tournament ranked No. 42 in the world, but she looked dominant in the final matches of her run to the Grand Slam title. She defeated Jabeur, 6-4, 6-4, in the championship, after beating Elina Svitolina, 6-3, 6-3, in the semifinal round.

“I don’t know what is happening… After everything I have been through, it is amazing I can stand here and hold this,” she said after her win, referring to the Wimbledon trophy. “Tennis is crazy. The comebacks aren’t easy you don’t know what to expect, I was hoping I could get back to this level and now this is happening.”

As a junior, Vondrousova claimed the world No. 1 ranking. And after her transition to the senior tour, she reached the French Open final as a 19-year-old in 2019. But injuries disrupted her ascent, and she did not reach another Grand Slam final until this year’s Wimbledon. She has not made it past the fourth round at the US Open or at the Australian Open.

“I‘ve been through it,” she said after her semifinal win against Svitolina. “Once I was very young, so I think it was just too much for me back then.”

Before her win against Jabeur, she made a bet with her coach: If she won the title, he would get a tattoo to commemorate the occasion, she said.

“I think we are going to go tomorrow,” she said Saturday. “I think I am going to have some beer. It was an exhausting few weeks.”

Despite the tiring run through the tournament, she has plenty to celebrate, and not just on the court. Her first wedding anniversary is tomorrow.

“I enjoyed the two weeks so much,” she said. “I am so grateful and proud of myself.”