‘Biggest thing ever for an athlete’ – Belinda Bencic on her Olympic triumph
Belinda Bencic said she achieved something she did not think would be possible by winning the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The Swiss described the Games as “the biggest thing ever for an athlete” and expressed her disbelief at claiming two Olympic medals.
The world number 12 defeated Marketa Vondrousova 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 in the women’s singles gold medal match to become the first Swiss woman to win gold in tennis.
Bencic is also guaranteed to win a medal in women’s doubles – and will compete for gold alongside countrywoman Viktorija Golubic tomorrow.
āI mean, you know, I will try [to win gold] again [in doubles]. I will play like itās my last match of my career. You know, this tournament, itās … for me, itās not ‘this tournament’, itās the freaking Olympic Games,ā Bencic said in an on-court interview.
#Tokyo2020 Women’s Singles Podium
? @BelindaBencic of #SUI
? @VondrousovaM of #CZE
? @ElinaSvitolina of #UKR#Tennis | #Olympics pic.twitter.com/nCHm93Mqovā ITF (@ITFTennis) July 31, 2021
āFor me, this is the biggest thing ever for an athlete, so I cannot believe I have two medals and one of them is gold, and one of them is to be decided. I mean, I donāt know what to say. I mean, itās amazing.
“I cannot really believe it right now. I just donāt get it yet. I donāt know whether to laugh or to cry. I didnāt think it would be possible. I was fighting for my life, and it worked out. I cannot believe it worked out.ā
Photo credit: Kopatsch/Sato/Sidorjak
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