The fight for glory is never easy. It demands not just blood, sweat, and toil but also the kind of mental tenacity that can wear down even the toughest opponents. Court Philippe Chatrier bore witness to this intense battle on Saturday, as Qinwen Zheng showcased an exceptional game against her Croatian rival, Donna Vekic. But, this style of her gameplay left Vekic and her fans furious.

During the women’s singles final match at Roland Garros, Zheng did not just outshine Vekic with her skills. As she cruised through victory, she was also seen playing some mind games as she often tried to break the Croatian star’s momentum. This was not accepted well by the fans. 

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), one user highlighted the reactions of Vekic. “Vekic is not happy with Zheng right now. Was seemingly upset that she kept catching her toss and was just upset right now because she stopped before Vekic went to serve after a fan yelled out.” For the unversed, Zheng prolonged the tossing of the ball ahead of every serve she made which tested Vekic’s patience to the core.

Besides, she stopped right before Vekic went to serve after a fan yelled out from the stands. This meanwhile, has left the 28-year-old and her fans displeased. And as soon as the tweet gained traction, several other users joined the fray to add to the post-match drama. 

“Actually ridiculous” – fans lash out at Qinwen Zheng

Responding to the tweet, one user highlighted the con of the playing style. “The constant tossing is actually ridiculous, something ATP/WTA should change… the toss is a crucial part of the serve, it should be considered a fault.” This is not the first time that a tennis player has been slammed for delays. 

Novak Djokovic is one of the finest examples in tennis who is known to break the momentum of his opponents by delaying his serve. Nole often bounces the ball many times on the court before actually hitting hit. He has been often called out by the tennis community for this with demands of framing stringent rules gaining momentum. Coming back to the latest happening, another user responded similarly. 

“QINWEN YOURE NOT SEEING HEAVEN,” the user wrote. This is not the first time this Olympics that the Chinese star has found herself in the middle of a controversy. After her match against Emma Navarro in the third round, she was accused of being disrespectful as the American WTA star criticized Zheng’s “cutthroat,” nature. But amidst the chaos, Zheng found some support as well. 

Several users shared split views on the issue and slammed Vekic as well. One user questioned, “When is Vekic happy on court?” Vekic has expressed signs of displeasure at this Olympics as well. During her match against Coco Gauff, when the American accused the umpire of poor judgment and cried inconsolably, Vekic seemed to be displeased even after winning the match. While many attributed this to the booing she faced from Gauff’s fans, several users believed that Vekic could have remained indifferent. And the battle continued.

Another user joined the fray and wrote, “Vekic is never happy with anything.” But the event was not so cheerful for Vekic either. After getting whisked out in the third round of the Tokyo Olympics, the Croatian had a shot to take at the Gold in Paris. But despite portraying significant skills this summer, the star player failed to complete her run to the prime glory. 

Meanwhile, another user took to the platform and wrote, “Vekic always looks like she has a cob on tbf 🤣.” But despite the dispute, the damage is already done for Vekic. However, although she failed to win the gold, her journey towards clinching the silver cannot be ignored. As the season progresses, it would be interesting to see if Vekic can actually win yet more bigger.