Donna Vekic Fueled By Paris Olympic Medal to Deliver on the Grand Slam Stage

Donna Vekic had a remarkable 2024 season where she reached the semifinal at Wimbledon and won the silver medal at the Paris Olympics.

Donna Vekic Fueled By Paris Olympic Medal to Deliver on the Grand Slam Stage

Donna Vekic (image via X)

In statements collected by Tennis Channel, Donna Vekic opened up about winning the silver medal at the Paris Olympics last year for Croatia. Coming from the land that has given Olympic medalists and Grand Slam champions such as the likes of Goran Ivanisevic and Marin Cilic, Vekic is the first Croatian woman to win an Olympic medal in the sport and the first Croatian to reach the singles final at the Olympics. 

At the Paris Olympics, she made the quarterfinals with wins over Lucia Bronzetti, Bianca Andreescu, and second seed Coco Gauff. Vekic overcame Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in the semifinals but eventually lost the gold medal match to Chinese player Qinwen Zheng in straight sets. 

After winning the medal in Paris, I told myself: ‘Okay, now I am much more relaxed; if I don’t win anything else, it’s okay…The pressure was gone, because I have achieved one of my dreams that I had since I started playing tennis. But then it showed me how close I am to winning big titles. It definitely gave me a lot of motivation to keep pushing.

Meanwhile, the Olympic bronze medal was won by Iga Swiatek, who defeated Schmiedlova in straight sets.

Donna Vekic’s draw at Wimbledon

Donna Vekic has struggled with consistency throughout the season. As players gear up for Wimbledon, her grass season has also been pretty disappointing, with an opening round exit at Queen’s and Berlin and a second round exit at the Bad Homburg Open. She will be heading to the Wimbledon Championships, where she had her best run at a Grand Slam in her career last year by reaching the semifinal.

Donna Vekic Jasmine Paolini Wimbledon 2024
Donna Vekic and Jasmine Paolini at Wimbledon 2024 (image via WTA)

Vekic became the first Croatian woman to reach the semifinals at the All England Club since Mirjana Lucic-Baroni in 1999 and the first to do so at any Grand Slam since Lucic-Baroni at the 2017 Australian Open. Vekic lost what was the longest-ever Wimbledon women’s singles semifinal to eventual runner-up Jasmine Paolini.

This year, Vekic will meet Kimberly Birrell in the opening round at SW19. In her draw, Vekic will potentially have to face Australian Open champion Madison Keys in the fourth round, World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinal, and 2024 runner-up Paolini in the semifinal.

Vekic’s win-loss record is 9-16 this season, and last week she and her coach Pam Shriver parted ways. The Croatian’s ranking hasn’t dropped much yet, but that would change with an early loss at Wimbledon. While she retains her belief in her game and her future, Vekic also hinted that retirement may not be that far off. Asked if she can see herself on tour for a lot longer, she stated, flatly, “No.”

Pam Shriver announces the end of her coaching partnership with Donna Vekic

22-time Grand Slam doubles champion Pam Shriver announced the end of her coaching partnership with World No. 22 Donna Vekic a few days back. Shriver hailed the partnership as “one of the greatest experiences in 50-plus years in tennis.” Shriver, 62, said that she was leaving Vekic, for whom she has served as a coaching consultant since 2022, as a result of “a challenging year” off the court.

Donna Vekic
Donna Vekic (via X)

A resident of the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, Shriver had to evacuate her home during the series of catastrophic wildfires that destroyed over 57,000 acres of land in California in January this year. Shiver even had many of her Grand Slam trophies stolen.

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