"Vague mean girl sh*t, Serena Williams would’ve eaten these girls" - Fans annoyed by Donna Vekic hinting at 'controversial stories' about Zheng Qinwen

Donna Vekic recently explained the reasons for her frosty handshake with Zheng Qinwen after the 2024 Paris Olympics final. However, the Croatian's remarks about Zheng have not gone down well with tennis fans.

Zheng clinched a historic gold medal for China in women's singles at the Paris Olympics, securing a decisive 6-2, 6-3 win over Vekic in the final. Apart from the Chinese's dominant triumph, the match also drew attention to the tense atmosphere between the finalists, as the Croatian treated the World No. 7 to a frosty handshake at the net.

In an interview with Croatian publication Jutarnji, Donna Vekic revealed her chilly demeanor was caused by Zheng Qinwen's "completely incorrect" timeouts and constant delays on her serve during the match. The 28-year-old also hinted at several "controversial stories" involving Zheng but refused to elaborate on the details.

"She (Zheng Qinwen) kept delaying the service. As soon as someone's voice was heard or someone moved in the audience. She took time-outs completely incorrectly. We cannot expect spectators to sit like statues. There are also a lot of controversial stories about her, but I won't talk about that now," she said.

Fans were annoyed by Donna Vekic's refusal to provide details about these controversial stories, criticizing the 28-year-old for her "vague insinuations" and "mean girl behavior."

"This vague mean girl sh*t is so corny, say it with your chest girl you’re too old for these games. serena would’ve eaten these girls for breakfast," one fan commented.

"It is the behavior that I hate the most in day-to-day life "You know that guy/girl has a lot of bad things, but I will not tell you just now" You either say it or shut up. Don't be a f**king sore loser," another fan chimed in.

"The vague insinuation is the worst. She’s just trying to fan the flames and without providing any specifics of this supposedly controversial behaviour, it means there is just no opportunity for Qinwen to respond or defend herself. It’s such high school mean girl behaviour," said another.

Given that Emma Navarro accused Zheng Qinwen of "cut-throat behavior" after their third-round clash at the Paris Olympics, one fan also alleged racism in the American and Vekic's treatment of the Chinese star.

"Sorry but when players talk about other players like this they gotta give us some evidence. currently it looks like white girls badmouthing an asian girl whom they lost too," a fan argued.

"Emma has opened a very unfortunate trend where after losing a match you can now just talk poorly about the character of your opponent rather than acknowledge how well they played. Shame on her," one fan posted.

"It’s always players like Navarro, Vekic, Badosa speaking this stuff and you never hear it from the likes of Swiatek/Rybakina/Sabalenka/Gauff… it really tells you something," another fan wrote.

Others, meanwhile, humorously poked fun at all the drama that surrounded the WTA during the Olympics, involving the likes of Iga Swiatek, Danielle Collins and Coco Gauff.

"This Olympics has set women’s tennis back like 50 years," one fan wrote.

"Who would have thought that olympics of all places/events would bring us so much WTA drama in a span of a week," another fan remarked.

"The way there’s so much drama in the WTA right now and not ONE player wants to tell us what it’s all about," said yet another.

"I'm disappointed because I wanted the gold, but Zheng Qinwen was better" - Donna Vekic after Paris Olympics final

Donna Vekic, Zheng Qinwen and Iga Swiatek with their Paris Olympics medals (Source: Getty)

Despite airing her grievances with Zheng Qinwen's conduct during the Paris Olympics final, Donna Vekic admitted that the World No. 7 was the better player during the contest.

Vekic also took pride in achieving her "life's dream" of winning a medal for Croatia, expressing satisfaction with her campaign regardless of her disappointment in the final.

"I am extremely proud and happy to have won a medal for Croatia, I have fulfilled my life's dream. The day I won the semi-final was one of the happiest in my life. Now I'm a little disappointed because I wanted the gold, but Zheng Qinwen was better. I can't forget or dismiss what I did in these weeks, I'm honest," she said.

Iga Swiatek joined Zheng Qinwen and Donna Vekic on the podium at the Paris Olympics, having clinched the bronze medal with a clinical 6-2, 6-1 win over Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.