Donna Vekic’s Journey to Olympic Silver: Overcoming Adversity for a Remarkable Finish

Croatia’s Donna Vekic endured numerous setbacks on her path to the Olympics, including dealing with pain, a flight delay, and illness. Despite these obstacles, she secured the Olympic tennis women’s singles silver medal on Saturday, calling the achievement “incredible.”

Ranked 21st in the world and a Wimbledon semi-finalist, Vekic lost 6-2, 6-3 to China’s Zheng Qinwen in a tense final. Following knee surgery in 2021, she had been so disheartened before this year’s French Open that she nearly quit tennis and even considered withdrawing from the Olympics.

“After the Wimbledon semi-finals, I was in so much pain that I doubted I could compete in the Olympics,” Vekic told reporters. “I had pain in my arm and ankle and was sick. Everything was happening at once. Our flight was canceled, and we arrived late. Everything seemed to go wrong,” the 28-year-old added.

“When we had our first practice, I told my coach I was coughing so badly I couldn’t hit two shots in a row. One week later, we have a medal. It’s been absolutely incredible,” she said.

Vekic’s motivation came from the desire to reach the podium for her country. She and Zheng were both vying to win their country’s first tennis singles gold medal.

“When you play for your country, it’s definitely a little bit more special. It’s about giving 200 percent,” Vekic remarked.

The Croat had previously lost in the singles third round during her first Olympic appearance in Tokyo, making this silver medal even more significant.