“When you’re playing for a medal, it’s different than any other event,” Donna Vekic said after a fruitful semifinal clash at the Paris Olympics. Her epic rise to the ladder of success this season has been undeniably spectacular. Remember her Wimbledon campaign from a few weeks ago? She was quick to make a place for herself at the semifinals of the event for the first time in her career. Vekic indeed has a way to turn a match in her favor and one may think that in-game coaching must contribute a small factor in it. But the 28-year-old player might not agree!

When the world No. 2 player, Coco Gauff, frustratingly asks for coaching advice from the team during a Grand Slam event at Wimbledon, we are bound to think that must be a necessary solution to navigate around a high-stakes match. Vekic’s opinion is starkly different. Instead of benefiting from the advice, she gets irked! And it happened during the quarterfinal match of Vekic, which became a rollercoaster ride for fans and players alike.

Although she managed to power past Lulu Sun in the end, it took her over two hours to achieve the feat. But even during the high-intensity clash, the Croatian tennis pro decided not to take any help from her coach, Pam Shriver, a former World No. 3 player. “I was so angry; I was so angry at myself; I was like, ‘No, this is not happening right now’. I could hear Pam shouting, ‘Reset, reset’, I was like, ‘Reset what?’,” she said to the New York Times while referring to her double faults and how she got broken in the first set itself.

But Vekic, who was thinking how she would play her service game at 5-all (after the first set) indeed made her comeback in the second set and eventually won by defeating Sun by 5-7, 6-4, 6-1. Questioned about the impact of coaching from 22-time Grand Slam doubles champion Pam Shriver, the player provided a direct response: “Probably not. I told them to shut up five times during the match.”

Either way, Vekic made the most of the opportunity she got during the match and even created history while doing so. The former World No. 19 became the first Croatian woman to reach the semi-finals at Wimbledon since Mirjana Lucic in 1999. However, Vekic couldn’t deliver the same result in her next match, ultimately losing to Jasmine Paolini. However, her incredible Wimbledon performance is still fresh in our minds.

Vekic’s mental resilience, exemplified by her ability to “reset” after setbacks, has been a cornerstone of her success at both Wimbledon and the Olympics. Following her Wimbledon campaign, she opted for a much-needed break on the Croatian coast to recharge before the Paris Games.

Vekic’s impressive Olympic run has seen her overcome formidable opponents, including American star Coco Gauff. She displayed remarkable composure during Gauff’s heated argument with the officials. Continuing her strong form, Vekic defeated Marta Kostyuk in a thrilling three-set battle, securing her place in the medal round. A dominant performance against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova propelled her into the gold medal match against China’s Zheng Qinwen, marking a historic achievement for Croatian tennis.

This has led her to become the first Croatian tennis player ever to play for singles gold in the process. It has taken Vekic forward to a point where his coaching team takes a backseat at times. “And so Nick (Horvat, her main coach) and I were like, ‘We just sit back and let her do her thing’.” Although she didn’t need her coach during that game, a few months prior to that, the scene was totally different!

Here’s how Shriver convinced Vekic not to leave tennis

“I didn’t want to play tennis anymore,” Vekic decided after experiencing a rocky season this year. She further explained the reason, stating, “I didn’t have any energy any motivation.” Moreover, her persistent knee injuries from the past interfered with her form over and over again. Thankfully, her coach, Pam Shriver, was there to show the light during her dark times.

She advised Vekic to stick around for the grass season. “It will be different when you have green under your feet,” she said. Vekic must be glad that she took the advice and went on in her career. Soon, she not only gave a remarkable performance at Wimbledon but also in the Bad Homburg Open, where she reached the finale.

Vekic’s journey in tennis is a tale of inspiration. And intricately woven into that story is an unsung hero of her team, Pam Shriver!