via Reuters
Tokyo 2020 Olympics – Tennis – Women’s Singles – Medal Ceremony – Ariake Tennis Park – Tokyo, Japan – July 31, 2021. Gold medallist Belinda Bencic of Switzerland celebrates on the podium REUTERS/Yara Nardi
via Reuters
Tokyo 2020 Olympics – Tennis – Women’s Singles – Medal Ceremony – Ariake Tennis Park – Tokyo, Japan – July 31, 2021. Gold medallist Belinda Bencic of Switzerland celebrates on the podium REUTERS/Yara Nardi
World No.12 Belinda Bencic scripted history at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Bencic became the first Swiss woman to clinch the singles gold medal at the Olympics after she defeated Marketa Vondrousova in a thrilling three-set final. Among a series of congratulatory messages received by Bencic, the most special came from the 20-time Grand Slam champion, Roger Federer.
In fact, this marked the third time a Swiss tennis player won the gold at the Olympics after Marc Rosset at Barcelona 1992 and Federer/Wawrinka in doubles at Beijing 2008.
via Reuters
Tokyo 2020 Olympics – Tennis – Women’s Singles – Gold medal match – Ariake Tennis Park – Tokyo, Japan – July 31, 2021. Belinda Bencic of Switzerland reacts after winning her gold medal match against Marketa Vondrousova of Czech Republic REUTERS/Mike Segar
Roger Federer celebrates Belinda Bencic gold medal victory
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The Swiss Maestro uploaded a picture on Instagram to congratulate Bencic on achieving the monumental feat. In the post, Bencic is smiling widely with a gold medal around her neck.
“HISTORY,” wrote Federer in the caption along with the Swiss flag and a gold medal emoji next to it. The 39-year-old had to withdraw from the Olympics because of a knee injury he suffered during the Wimbledon Championships.
Interestingly, during a media interaction, Bencic mentioned she received a text message from Federer before her singles final. “Today is a good day to make your dreams come true,” wrote Federer in his message, said Bencic.
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The 24-year-old dedicated her singles gold medal to her idols, Federer and Martina Hingis, as she said “This medal is also for Roger and Martina. I won it for them” during the post-match conference.
Overwhelmed by emotions, Bencic knelt down on the court and broke into tears after winning the final. However, her Olympics journey doesn’t stop here.
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Having booked her place in the women’s doubles final alongside her partner, Viktorija Golubic, Bencic has an opportunity to claim another gold medal at the Tokyo Games. In the final on Sunday, the Swiss doubles duo would face?the top-seeded Czech team of Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova.
If the Swiss team wins the doubles final, Bencic would become the fourth player to win Olympic gold medals in both singles and doubles at one Olympic Games, after Serena Williams, Venus Williams, and Chilean Nicolas Massu.
