"It showed me that I wasn’t so far from winning big titles," Vekic reflects on her silver medal at the Paris Olympics
Donna Vekic achieved one of the finest performances of her career last year at the Olympic Games. The current world No. 22, who celebrated her 29th birthday on June 28, had reached the semifinals at Wimbledon before securing a silver medal in Paris, following singles victories over Lucia Bronzetti, Bianca Andreescu, Coco Gauff, Marta Kostyuk, and Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.
In the final, however, she fell to Zheng Qinwen in straight sets but still brought home a medal for her country, Croatia. Nearly a year after winning silver, Vekic looked back on that moment, which remains etched in her memory.
"After Wimbledon, I was in Croatia, and everyone was talking to me about the Olympics. It made me want to do well there. That really motivated me. After winning the medal, it felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders because I had just fulfilled one of my biggest dreams since I started playing tennis.
I told myself, ‘Okay, I feel more relaxed now. If I never win another title, it won’t be the end of the world.’ But on the other hand, it also showed me that I wasn’t so far from winning big titles. It only strengthened my motivation to keep giving my all.
Honestly, I don’t see myself staying on the tour for much longer, but I still have energy left in me. As long as I’m healthy, that’s the most important thing," she told Tennis Channel.
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