5 unknown facts about Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, Paris Olympics 2024's surprise semifinalist from Slovakia

Few would have seen Anna Karolina Schmiedlova make the Paris Olympics semifinal in the lead-up. The Slovak, however, has taken out a top-10 name, another in the top-20 and a reigning Grand Slam champion to do so.

The Slovak was a 6-4, 6-2 victor over Barbora Krejickova, who had lifted the Wimbledon trophy mere weeks ago. The win came after equally stellar upsets over the likes of Jasmine Paolini and Beatriz Haddad Maia.

While it may have come as a big surprise to many, the run has been years in the making. Here, we help you get to know the tenacious Slovak better:

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#5 Anna Karolina Schmiedlova comes from a sporting family

Anna Karolina Schmiedlova picked up the racket aged 7.

Anna Karolina Schmiedlova picked up the tennis racket at age seven after being encouraged by her parents.

The Slovak comes from a sporting family, with her father having played hockey and her mother being a skier. Her younger sister, Kristina, is also a tennis player and the two have been together on the Billie Jean King Cup (formerly the Fed Cup) team for Slovakia.

"My parents introduced me to tennis, they wanted me to do some kind of sport," Anna Karolina Schmiedlova told tennisphotoworld.com in a 2015 interview. "They are sporting them selfs, though they are no tennis players."

"My father played hockey and my mother was active in water skiing. They didn’t mentioned me to be a professional tennis player, but I turned out to be pretty good in playing tennis and I liked the game and finally I became a pro," she added.

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#4 She has an interest in medicine, art

Anna Karolina Schmiedlova has been active on the Tour for well over a decade, but her interests range far and wide.

Asked to pick an alternate profession in a 2015 interview with tennisphotoworld.com, she picked medicine, noting that she had been drawn to the field since a young age. She joked about having watched tons of medical dramas, and attributed them to furthering her interest.

"I think I would study medicine, probably I have seen to many shows on TV about doctors... but yes that’s what interesting me, but now I can’t combine that with my tennis career, but perhaps later I will do that," she had said.

The Slovak also has an artsy side and often shares sketches, mostly tennis and fashion related, on her social media handles.

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#3 She is actively involved in activism back home in Slovakia

Anna Karolina Schmiedlova is also involved in activism work back home in Slovakia. She is often seen participating in international humanitarian organisations like UNICEF.

During the Covid-19 pandemic-induced lockdown, she also got involved with the anti-racist movement Postavme Sa Spoločne (Let's Stand Together) in her home country.

“It was to remember the Holocaust and fight against racism,” the Slovak told WTA.com. “I tried to find other athletes to help with this video and this movement because many other people also felt they should talk about it."

"I feel it's really important, as an athlete, to stand up when you believe something, especially in these times. It's important to talk about tolerance and anti-racism. I strongly believe in what I think about these things,” she added.

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#2 She has battled numerous injuries, setbacks

Anna Karolina Schmiedlova has been ranked as high as No. 26.

Those who followed tennis in the early to mid 2010s would remember Anna Karolina Schmiedlova as a promising young talent who could hit the ball big off both wings.

The Slovak peaked at a career-high of No. 26 in October 2015 after winning two titles that year, but as fate would have it, a series of injuries followed.

The biggest setback came in 2019 when she was forced to undergo a knee surgery. The youngster did everything to get back in shape and compete only for the Covid-19 to strike. She battle a tough period, but her return to the sport was sweet as beat the likes of Venus Williams and Victoria Azarenka at the 2020 French Open en-route to the third round.

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#1 Roland Garros, the Paris Olympics venue, holds a special significance to her

The Roland Garros is Anna Karolina Schmiedlova's favorite venue.

Anna Karolina Schmiedlova spoke about her love for Paris in the past. The made her first Grand Slam second week at Roland Garros last year, a feat that she had at the time described as the biggest achievement of her career.

The Slovak’s family was there to watch her play in Paris last year, cheering her on as she got the better of Veronika Kudermetova, Aliona Bolsova and Kayla Day before falling to Coco Gauff.

"I thought it would be a dream to reach at least the third round here because it's my favorite tournament, definitely," Schmiedlova told the media. "Now I'm in the second week of a Grand Slam so it's the greatest achievement of my whole career."

"They just came here to see the courts, the facilities, how it works at a Grand Slam," she continued. "And in the end, they stayed one extra week than expected.

It is then fitting that Schmiedlova, who is also a junior Roland Garros finalist, has one upped her greatest run on the big stage at the very same venue.