Keystone
Belinda Bencic is the hard worker in the Swiss delegation. She played seven games within five days, with four more to follow. But no complaints: she is living her Olympic dream.
Tennis players are used to a high rhythm of play. They play a lot, especially when they are successful. Ice baths, massages and good nutrition as measures for regeneration are part of the daily business on the tour. Week after week they travel to another city and try their luck all over again. Sometimes more, sometimes less successful.
The Olympic tournament in Tokyo is one of many on the calendar, which is much more crowded this year. It’s not an ordinary tournament for Bencic. For her, participating in the Olympics is a dream come true, something that she can later tell her grandchildren about. Even before she left for Japan, she had a tingling sensation in her stomach.
After a week in Tokyo, she enthusiastically talks about life in the Olympic village. “It’s so cool to see everyone else. Everyone trains, everyone does their best. ” In the small lounge of Swiss Olympic there is a lot of excitement. A maximum of eight people can stay in it. There is great respect for performance in other sports. “What the gymnasts do in training is unbelievable,” says Bencic. And mountain bikers are true acrobats on their bikes. “I wouldn’t even walk on parts of the route.”
The hype in the Olympic village gives you energy
The enthusiasm that Bencic exudes is impressive. While the Olympics are the ultimate for most athletes, tennis players have at least four highlights a year with the Grand Slam tournaments alone. Bencic is one of the privileged among the Olympic participants, having earned almost $ 8.8 million in prize money alone. She regularly plays in full stadiums and, despite being only 24 years old, has a remarkable palmarès to show: four WTA titles, a semi-final at the US Open, a Masters participation of the best eight players. And Bencic rose several times into the illustrious circle of the top ten in the ranking.
While some of her tennis colleagues decided not to travel to Tokyo, she was enjoying life as an Olympian to the full. She and her doubles partner Viktorija Golubic also had the opening ceremony with the invasion of the Swiss delegation, although both of them had their first outing relatively early the next day.
“Others say that the hustle and bustle in the village drains them of energy, but the opposite is the case with me,” says Bencic. The successes in singles would help her in doubles – and vice versa. This is another reason why Bencic shows no signs of fatigue despite the strict program. “It’s the Olympic Games, I’m an athlete, now I’m going to finish the job.”
