Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova is back in Grand Slam mode at the US Open

NEW YORK (AP) — Linda Noskova's life changed earlier this summer in ways she could not possibly imagine.

The 21-year-old from the Czech Republic won Wimbledon, the youngest champion there in a decade and a half, for her first Grand Slam title. She met Czech president Petr Pavel and was celebrated by thousands in her hometown of Vsetín.

“A lot of congratulations from people that weren’t really expected,” she said.

Back at a major for the first time at the U.S. Open, Noskova understands the gravity of what she has accomplished but insists it has not changed how she approaches tennis, with her eyes on more prizes ahead.

“It has always been very important to focus on each match like nothing ever happened before: no success or no failure,” Noskova said. “Whatever happened happened, and this is a brand-new tournament. I just have to start all over.”

It's not totally starting over. She will always have that Wimbledon run on her resume, and she has improved from 12th to a career-best sixth in the WTA world rankings.

Still, Noskova called not getting ahead of herself the most important thing, which she believes is easy. After falling behind 5-2 in the first set of her opening match Monday against 78th-ranked American opponent Katie Volynets, Noskova rallied to win it 7-5, 6-1.

“I really want to stay the same — not really change many things around me,” Noskova said. “Whenever there is something new or something I’m not used to, I just kind of always want to stick with the things that I know how to do, and whatever is new, I just kind of get used to it.”

Knowing it's about “What have you done for me lately?” Noskova acknowledges the media attention will not last forever. Going all the way at the All-England Club did give her confidence that she can hang with the best women's players on the planet, which helps at a U.S. Open that looks wide open.

“I have learned mainly the fact that it’s possible for me to do it: for me to make it till the very end and just lift (a) Grand Slam trophy,” Noskova said. “I feel like all of us, all players, just dream about that moment and when it actually comes, it’s very hard to realize and to realize all the things that went into it.”

Noskova beat countrywoman Karolina Muchova in the Wimbledon final. She's the youngest to win that tournament since another Czech player, Petra Kvitova in 2011.

But the celebrations of that achievement are over. For the first several minutes of her question-and-answer session upon arriving in New York last week, Noskova did not utter the “W” word.

She smiled and called it unintentional. Attempting to shift her mindset and moving past Wimbledon is very intentional.

“I feel like I have had enough of it, in a good way,” Noskova said. “I mean, it’s something that it’s so big and huge that it’s very tough to actually swallow. But at the same time, we have a new Grand Slam here. I cannot be stuck in my head space at Wimbledon. ... I will just try to redo what I did."

See AP’s full tennis coverage here

FILE - Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic poses with the trophy after winning against Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic in the women's singles final at Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, July 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

Linda Noskova, of the Czech Republic, reacts during a match against Katie Volynets, of the United States, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Monday, Aug. 31, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Linda Noskova, of the Czech Republic, returns the ball to Katie Volynets, of the United States, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Monday, Aug. 31, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Linda Noskova, of the Czech Republic, returns the ball to Katie Volynets, of the United States, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Monday, Aug. 31, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Linda Noskova, of the Czech Republic, returns the ball to Katie Volynets, of the United States, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Monday, Aug. 31, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is stepping down after 18 months on the job, the White House said Monday, in the latest departure of a top military leader during the Trump administration.

No reason was given for the departure of Driscoll, who is a friend of Vice President JD Vance, but tensions with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have been widely reported. It marks the latest in a series of shakeups of the military leadership, with the Army especially seeing major upheaval.

“Secretary Driscoll has been highly effective in advancing President Trump’s agenda to Make America Strong Again at the Department of the Army by providing outstanding leadership during historic military operations, restoring an emphasis on readiness and lethality, assisting with negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, and more," White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement.

"The United States Army is more powerful than ever thanks to his work alongside the Commander-in-Chief and Secretary of War,” she added.

A U.S. Army official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Driscoll submitted his resignation. The official did not provide additional details. The Pentagon referred questions to the Army. Driscoll's resignation was reported earlier Monday by The Wall Street Journal.

Hegseth suddenly ousted the service's top uniformed leader, Gen. Randy George, in April, while the Army’s commander in Europe and Africa, Gen. Christopher Donahue, unexpectedly stepped down in June.

Gen. Christopher LaNeve, who has made a meteoric rise under Hegseth, took George's place as the Army’s acting chief of staff. Under LaNeve, the service is pulling the plug on a drone modernization program that Driscoll had heralded. An Army unit based in Europe was building its own drones before LaNeve directed it to end its efforts and return to being a traditional infantry battalion, officials said in August.

Driscoll was a George ally and lamented his departure, along with both Republican and Democratic lawmakers. He told Congress in April that he and his family drove to George's house following his resignation “and we all gave him a hug.”

“That being said, the civilian leadership, the design of our system, is that they get to pick the leaders that they want," Driscoll added.

Driscoll is an Iraq war veteran, tech investor and former adviser to Vance, whom Driscoll met at Yale Law School. When nominating Driscoll in 2024, President Donald Trump called him “a disruptor and change agent.”

As Army secretary, Driscoll was tapped for the unusual role of key negotiator to try to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. He was also a major force behind trying to cut the red tape for military contractors to quickly develop more drones and counter-drone capabilities as warfare rapidly changes around the world.

The Senate confirmed him in February 2025, voting 66-28, following an Armed Services Committee hearing that was largely unconfrontational and focused on how the Army could modernize its systems, improve recruiting and beef up the military industrial base.

Driscoll noted that his father and grandfather served in the Army and he vowed to be a secretary focused on the needs of soldiers. According to the Army, Driscoll served as an armor officer from August 2007 to March 2011, deploying to Iraq from October 2009 to July 2010.

He also ran unsuccessfully in the Republican primary for a North Carolina congressional seat in 2020, getting about 8% of the vote in a crowded field of candidates.

His departure comes after Hegseth ousted several other generals and admirals, including the head of the Navy.

The Pentagon abruptly announced in April that Navy Secretary John Phelan was leaving the job, becoming the first head of a military service to depart during Trump’s second term.

FILE - U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll speaks at the America 250 celebration at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, N.C., June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker, File)