Vekić explains, “After having such a good run at Wimbledon I had a lot of confidence going to the Olympics. I was very tired and not thinking too much, just playing my game. Every time before the clay season starts, I always [ask], ‘Okay, what can I change, what can I add?’, I’m overthinking and then I lose my head a little bit.”
Then suddenly, everything clicked. The Croatian overcame former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu before stunning second seed and another Grand Slam winner in Coco Gauff in the third round. Though played on Court Philippe-Chatrier, this was not an extension of the French Open by any means.
“The conditions were a little bit different than Roland-Garros,” the silver medallist explains of how the clay conditions benefitted her. “It was a lot warmer, the balls were different, everything helped a little – and playing for your country it’s different as well.”
Vekić will be 32 by the time of the next Games in LA 2028, still three years away. “That’s very far, let’s see about LA,” she responds to the possibility of competing at a third Olympic Games, having debuted at Tokyo 2020 back in 2021.
She knows that she will be even more invested in her fashion endeavours by then, from the Olympic flame to her own flame. “I have my own brand of candles and diffusers,” she concludes, “I don’t have a lot of time for that, but it’s something I’ll definitely focus on after my career.”