Anna Karolina Schmiedlova’s incredible run at the Paris Olympics has earned her the name of ‘Giant Slayer.’ However, do you know once this ‘Giant Slayer’ was forced to say, “I wouldn’t like to play a match with her“? Did Schmiedlova say that out of fear or something else? Let’s find out a bit more about that opponent.

Sports run in her blood! Anna Karolina Schmiedlova’s father, Juraj Schmiedl, played hockey and tennis for recreation, while her mother Martina was a national champion in skiing. She grew up with her sister in Kosice, Slovakia’s second-biggest city. Even her sister was also into the racquet sport just a few years ago, but later on, she chose another path! Her sister, Kristina Schmiedlova, is three years younger than her and has also won 2 ITF titles in her career.

Her best career ranking has been reaching the 412th spot in women’s singles in July 2015. Kristina reached the French Open junior QF thrice and Wimbledon Junior final once in 2014 during her short career span. Both the sisters were also part of their national squad at the BJK Cup (formerly Fed Cup) in the past. However, eventually, Kristina Schmiedlova quit tennis at the age of 21 to pursue a career in medicine. She wants to be a doctor.

During the time of her switch to handling the stethoscope instead of the racquet, Kristina was the fifth best junior tennis player in the world. She had enormous potential as a tennis player and this is what led the general secretary of the Slovak Tennis Association, Igor Moska, to say, “Over time, several players reconsidered their decision and returned to tennis. If this were Kristina’s case, the door is open for us, because she is a great talent.“

Apart from being avid sports lovers, the family shares a special love for studying medicine. Even Anna Karolina Schmiedlova has a similar plan in her mind after her retirement.

“I think I would study medicine” – Anna Karolina Schmiedlova has a similar desire to that of her younger sister

Anna Karolina Schmiedlova picked up tennis at the age of 7. The journey was never easy for this Slovak tennis star. Her career peaked in 2015 when she reached the 26th spot in the women’s singles ranking, but it was followed by a series of injuries. She underwent knee surgery in 2019 and remained out of action for quite a while. However, this year has been one of the best seasons so far in her career. Her tennis journey was full of ups and downs but what else she would like to choose as a profession apart from being a tennis player?

Anna Karolina Schmiedlova gave this answer in 2015 during an interview with Tennisphotoworld.com. She said, “I think I would study medicine, probably I have seen too many shows on TV about doctors… but yes that’s what interests me.” Although she has a similar passion to her sister for the medical world, she doesn’t want to combine that with her tennis career. Schmiedlova said she’ll perhaps do that later on after her retirement.

Talking about her sister Kristina, Anna Karolina Schmiedlova once hailed her as a “good” player. However, during an interview in 2015, she revealed, “The Fed Cup captain says that we should not practice tougher. I can’t imagine to play a match with her. On the tour we could travel together, but I wouldn’t like to play a match against her. She is my sister!” Anna Karolina Schmiedlova had even asked the Pliskova sisters about how it feels to play against your own sister.

In reply, the Czech tennis stars revealed that the “most difficult matches are the ones against each other.” With a record knocking on the door, now it’s time to see if the elder one can knock off the world number one in the SF of the Bronze medal match at the Paris Olympics.