Winning or losing is part of any game, but what truly matters is the spirit of perseverance. This is a mantra many athletes hear throughout their careers, but few embody it as remarkably as Canadian star Bianca Andreescu. Her charismatic resilience has not only taken the tennis community by surprise but has also left her opponent Donna Vekic bewildered.

Bianca Andreescu and Donna Vekic met each other in the second-round clash of the Paris Olympics at Roland Garros. While the Canadian looked poised to continue her upward trajectory, her destiny seemed to have other plans. Despite starting the first set with a 3-1 lead, Andreescu failed to up her game and lost it 6-3 against Vekic, after making two service errors. And to add to her woes, a thumb injury emerged as a major roadblock!

In the second set of the game, when Vekic was leading 2-0, Andreescu hit herself on the thumb of her left hand with the racket, during a forehand shot. This left her in immense pain, with the Olympic debutant left in tears during the 10-minute break. Her agony not only inflicted worry on her fans but her Croatian opponent as well. 

Speaking to Sportske Novosti, Vekic said. “At first, I really thought she was going to give up. She screamed so much that I thought she was going to die, but she continued playing normally. I lost my concentration after that, which I shouldn’t have.” And this was well-visible in the match.

A dominant Vekic seemed to lose her form after the medical timeout and lost 5 of the four games. However, she soon made a comeback to end Andreescu’s run at the Olympics. “Then she started sliding more, which is not my usual skill. It took me a few games to adjust to that. And I think if I had lost the second set, I would have gone back to my normal game. Well, I’ll be smarter next time.” The Croatian star is currently gearing up to face the World No. 2, Coco Gauff in the third round.

Despite the high intensity of the match, Vekic is not worried. Speaking in the same interview, she revealed, “I never played with Coco. I don’t think about it now, the most important thing is to rest well.” But despite being a dominant force in the first two rounds of the Olympics, where Vekic won in straight sets, she considers herself a “weak” player.

What does Donna Vekic say about her weakness?

Donna Vekic’s significant run cannot be ignored at the Paris Olympics. If she continues her winning momentum, she will definitely not be good news for the American star Coco Gauff. But despite the sensational run, she does not consider herself a strong player in the mixed doubles category. 

Speaking about her partnership with Mata Pavić, the Croatian player said, “Actually, I contacted Mata and asked him if he wanted to compete in mixed doubles. He is one of the best doubles players, I’m a little weaker, but I have a good serve and I can hold my side. We’ll see. Now I have to rest first.”

As the tournament unfolds, it would be interesting to see how far Donna Vekic can advance. Although she has her doubts about her mixed-doubles performance, she is currently facing the US Open champion. Will she outshine Coco Gauff in the third round? Only time will tell!