Donna Vekic is one of the pleasant surprises of the Australian Open 2023: the 26-year-old Croatian overcame the injury that plagued her in recent years and qualified for the quarterfinals of the Grand Slam in Melbourne.

Vekic, who is ranked 64th in the WTA rankings, spoke about how Pam Shriver (the former world number one in doubles with 21 major titles) helped her to return to a higher level after a knee injury. Also, Donna preceded the match with Aryna Sabalenko (favorite 5).

Donna Vekic believes she can win a Grand Slam

“I feel that at the end of last year everything changed. I played very well after the US Open, where I lost in the first round. I played really well in Thailand and San Diego, those tournaments gave me confidence. They showed me that I can play at a high level again. After the surgery it took me a year and a half to get back to this level, I’m very happy to be able to continue in 2023.

Maybe because I’ve had so many injuries, I like playing more and more. Especially in big tours and on big stages. I now have a solid goal that motivates me and I am fully committed to achieving it. For the first time in my life, I think I can win a Grand Slam

I put a lot of pressure on myself in the first round. When I got on the field, I froze. I won the first set, but if you had asked me my name then, I would have had to check the table. I’m totally stuck. The rain saved me in the third set when I was leading 1-0. This gave me two hours to gather and relax. Since then I have played much better” – Donna Vekichquoted by PuntoDeBreak.

Pam Shriver, starring in the Donna Vekic revival

“We happened to spend a lot of time together in San Diego. Then I asked her if she wanted to be part of my team and she said yes. It was an honor for me because I came from a champion like her. I knew he could help me. People say it’s mostly volleys, but I think it can do a lot more.

We have a very good atmosphere in the team. Together with my coach Nick (Croatian), I trained very hard in Monaco in the pre-season. It was two months of hard work, and the results are already visible” – Donna Vekich.

The track veteran is only 26 years old

“This is already my 11th Australian Open tournament. I am only 26 years old, but this competition has given me confidence over time. When I stand up and take a few steps, I don’t feel like I’m 26.

Now I really like it, every year more and more, to play well and win. After all, how can you not love playing on courts like Margaret Court, which is one of my favourites. When people support you, you can’t help but enjoy this feeling” – Donna Vekich.

A tough match with Aryna Sabalenko in the quarters of the Australian Open-2023

“I’ve been watching a lot of tennis these days. For some reason, I could not catch her role as Arina. But I read on Twitter that she is playing the best tennis in the women’s draw at the Australian Open.

I will have a very tough match against her. All our games have been very tough, I’m sure the next one will be. I don’t need to think we’re playing in the quarters because it’s an important game for both of us. He certainly thinks the same way as I do” – Donna Vekich.

Know:

• At the Australian Open 2023, Donna Vekic defeated Oksana Selehmetyeva (179 WTA), Lyudmila Samsonova (20 WTA), Nuria Parrizas-Diaz (75 WTA) and Linda Fruhvirtova (82 WTA).
  

• Having reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, Donna Vekic repeated her best result at the Grand Slam tournaments (the Croatian also reached this stage of the competition at the US Open 2019).

• Vekic has three WTA titles (Kuala Lumpur-2014, Nottingham-2017 and Courmayeur-2021) and has lost seven more finals.

• Donna is ranked 34th in the WTA Live rankings. In November 2019, Vekic reached 19th place.

• According to the WTA website, Donna Vekic has earned $5,665,590 in tennis awards.