Wimbledon: Donna Vekic’s ‘Tough Road’ From Junior to Late-Career Grand Slam Glory Leaves American Legend Fascinated

After every sunset, there comes a sunrise, and guess what? After eclipsing the Sun at the SW19, Donna Vekic has set her eyes on the world number 7, Jasmine Paolini. The 28-year-old Croatian has had many ups and downs in her career, but her incredible run at her 43rd appearance in a major has brought her under the limelight in the tennis world. Fans are going gaga over her maiden appearance at a major SF, but wait a minute! Has Lindsay Davenport now become a fan of this Croatian tennis star?

The Tennis Channel Live Podcast hosted the 48-year-old American legend, during which she spoke about Vekic’s journey and all her adversities. Vekic underwent surgery on his right knee after the 2021 AO, and this kept her out of action for quite some time. She felt she didn’t have the energy and motivation to practice, and coupled with undesirable results, she felt it was time to call it quits, but she didn’t!

Tough times don’t define you. They refine you. Highlighting her struggles in the past, Davenport said, “It has been a tough road for her these last six or seven years, so much promise and so many hopes put on her shoulders when she was a junior player first transitioning to the pros it hasn’t gone as smoothly or even as successfully as she thought it would.“

Vekic is currently ranked 37th in the world and her win-loss record is 22-14. She has already featured in one final, one SF, and one QF before the grass slam. Now, her incredible performance at Wimbledon makes the American conclude these are the performances that players seek to cherish for the rest of their lives.

This is what will lift up her spirits when she’s down! “A phenomenal run for her and gonna be fascinating to see where she goes from here because now she’s going to be playing all the big tournaments starting this summer,” Lindsay Davenport added. What does Donna Vekic have to say about her incredible performance at the grass-court Slam?

“Things can turn pretty fast” – Donna Vekic is extremely proud of her achievement at SW19

Before Vekic’s 43rd appearance at a major, only four players needed more Slam appearances to make a maiden SF since the sport turned professional in 1968. In the semis, she will take on the in-form Italian, Jasmine Paolini which will be a match she will remember regardless of the outcome. How does she feel after traveling so far after what she has gone through over the last few years?

She said she never thought that was ever going to come back to this level. That’s pretty much a “crazy” thing for the Vekic at the moment. However, now that she has managed to cover almost most of her road, it’s time for her to show similar resilience on the business end. Speaking more about her journey, Donna Vekic added, “Now I’m in the semifinals. I think not just in tennis, in life things can turn pretty fast.”

She said she’s really proud of the way she has played in this tournament and also thanked the one who stood beside her in her tough times. Vekic thanked her team, saying, “I’m very thankful to them for believing in me when I didn’t.” The Croatian star will look to continue her incredible run. Can she continue it and reach her first slam final as well?