Ever heard about a tennis player who aspires to take down the likes of Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka despite being ranked at number 152? If it seems like a myth, the 19-year-old Canadian WTA star Marina Stakusic is the perfect example to vanish the doubts. As Wimbledon doubles champion Taylor Townsend looks forward to making her mark at the Canadian Open, the high-potential native stands in her way. Here’s everything to know about her rapid yet interesting rise in the world of tennis.

Born on November 27, 2004, Marina Stakusic is a remarkable young tennis player from Canada. At just 19 years of age, she has already made her mark on the WTA Tour by reaching a career-high singles ranking of No. 152 in July 2024.

Stakusic’s tennis journey began when she was just six years old. Inspired by her older brother who started playing with a Walmart racquet, Stakusic gained inspiration and therefore followed his lead. “My dad grew up in Montenegro and my mom is Serbian, but none of my family played tennis,” Stakusic revealed in a recent interview. “When my brother started, I wanted to try it too. I was always serious about it—I wanted to win Wimbledon, and that’s been my goal from the start,” she added.

The fact that Stakusic gained interest in the sport at an early age paid her off quite well. She made her WTA Tour debut at the Championnats de Granby in 2022, where she won her first-ever main draw match. Her breakthrough year came in 2023 when she played a crucial role in Canada’s first-ever Billie Jean King Cup victory by winning three singles matches.

Marina continues her rise in the ongoing season as well. She qualified for her first Grand Slam at Wimbledon. The Canadian also earned her first win at a WTA 1000 event in Toronto by taking down Erika Andreeva. As she prepares to face Taylor Townsend in the round of 32 at the Canadian Open, all cheers will be for this young native who looks forward to creating a strong mark with her determination and consistent inspiration from none other than Novak Djokovic.

Marina Stakusic reveals her admiration for Novak Djokovic

Besides a family angle that powered Marian Stakusic to gain interest in the racket sport, it was Novak Djokovic’s amazing style of play that she grew up watching. In an interview where she talked about various of her career, the Canadian revealed how she started watching the Serb play, eventually making it a regular thing.

“I definitely was watching. My idol is Novak Djokovic. Shocking, right? I always watched him growing up. Every Grand Slam final, we would gather and have a viewing party,” she revealed. The fact that her mother’s family is Serbian makes her admiration for the tennis great even more relatable. As Stakusic continues to take her tennis journey forward, it still remains to be seen how far her boat set sails.