Croatian tennis player Donna Vekic thinks, “tennis isn’t everything.” She fought bravely and recovered from a knee injury to reach another Grand Slam quarterfinal after last year. Despite believing “there’s also like a time limit”,  Vekic is just a few steps away from making history if she manages to grab a Grand Slam title. Having struggled with her form for two years, she finally delved into why she thinks she won’t “be playing ten more years.”

Vekic defeated Paula Badosa by 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals at Court 1 today. Two days ago, she engaged in a conversation with the WTA Insider podcast and opened up about her tennis career and retirement. Mentioning that “tennis is a small part” of her life, this Croatian WTA star explained how she realized that “here’s things in life a lot bigger than tennis and tennis isn’t everything and everything.” 

After that, Vekic discussed into her retirement, noting, “there’s also like a time limit”. Speaking about retirement, she said, “yeah I am still pushing everyday but I know I’m not gonna be playing ten more years. I only have couple of more years left in me and I just want to really after my career not have in regrets about everything I have done, everything  that I can for my career to be the best I can.”

Vekic suffered a right knee injury and had an operation in 2021. She further encountered another knee and foot injury, including torn fascia, in 2022. Last year, this Croatian WTA star reached the Australian Open’s quarterfinals after a two-year gap. Earlier, Vekic also thought to “quit tennis” but then she won Courmayeur. Again, she showcased an amazing performance in San Diego. Although her “fitness was improving, but it wasn’t coming together on the match court.” As a player, who knew her capability of doing better, it was mentally too tough for her “to be on this average level.”

Vekic had major issues with her form and fitness following her knee surgery in 2021, pushing her almost to the verge of retirement. However, Vekic fought back hard and won the Monterrey Open in 2023. She also reached the San Diego Open’s quarterfinals this year. Despite reaching the quarterfinals of Wimbledon 2024, Vekic realizes that she should play her best while she can, without focusing too much on reaching the WTA top ranks.

Nevertheless, this Croatian tennis player must have felt very motivated after defeating Badosa and reaching the Grand Slam quarterfinals. After her victory, she expressed how she felt achieving this feat after such a challenging period.

Donna Vekic calls it “a long day” after winning against Paula Badosa

Vekic made an outstanding fight against Badosa, defeating her in a three-set match on a rainy Wimbledon day. Post-victory, she delved into how she felt about the win. “We’ve been here since 8:30 this morning and it’s now almost 7 pm. It’s been a very long day, It was a tough match. When we came back after the second rain delay I felt she was reading my mind. I’m really happy to win, to be finished. To be in the last 8 of my favorite tournament, it’s really special,”- Vekic said.

This Croatian player further mentioned how she is used to such gloomy weather as she trained in London. However, she was visibly happy as she said, “I apologized to my team during the breaks. I was a bit of a mess at times.  We made it through in the end.”

Donna Vekic’s statement helped people realize that the world’s number 37 might not have many more years to entertain with her tennis brilliance. Despite this, everyone seemed delighted to see Vekic reaching the Grand Slam quarterfinals for the third time, showing great fitness and form three years after her knee surgery that jeopardized her career.