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Back in 2012, a 16-year-old Donna Vekic entered her first-ever WTA main draw - and ended up reaching the final. Breaking into the top 100 the following year and winning her first WTA tour title in 2014, Vekic seemed destined to speed to the top of the women's game.
But life doesn't always go the way you want, as the young Croat would soon find out. Injuries and the pressure of living up to the heavy expectations slowed her rise, and it wasn't until 2017 that Donna Vekic broke into the top 50.
Then things started looking up again, albeit gradually this time. Vekic finished the 2018 season inside the top 40 for the first time in her career. She went on to better that the following year, finishing inside the top 20 and reaching her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the 2019 US Open.
The COVID-19 pandemic struck soon after that, bringing Donna Vekic's rise as well as the world at large to a sudden halt. The five-month shutdown led Vekic to reset her goals and also make a coaching change.
Then after reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open this January, the Croat faced another setback as she underwent surgery on her knee.
It's hard to believe that Donna Vekic has been around for nearly a decade, given that she is still just 24. As she recuperates from her surgery, Vekic took some time out to talk to Sportskeeda about her latest setback, how she dealt with her early success, and how she has learned to overcome the obstacles in her way.
Donna Vekic also talked about being more motivated than ever in her quest to win a Grand Slam, her excitement about the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, and her work on the WTA Players Council.
Exclusive Interview with Donna Vekic
Sportskeeda: First of all, how's the rehab after the knee surgery going? Was the injury a long-standing problem, or something more recent that came up during the Australian Open?
Donna Vekic: The knee rehab is going well, I am now in week three after the surgery and everything is going as planned. I have started going to the gym, doing all the exercises, and building the muscles back.
The injury occurred at the Australian Open after my first match. I had a lot of pain and after each match, the pain was getting bigger.
Sportskeeda: Assuming the rehab continues to go as per plan, when do you expect to be back on the tour?
Donna Vekic: I hope to be back (in time) for the clay swing. Not sure when exactly, but I plan to be ready for the major clay tournaments.
Sportskeeda: You enjoyed a lot of success on the tour in your early teens, but it took a while before you were able to break into the top 20. Do you feel that the initial success came too early for you? If you could change maybe a couple of things to help you prepare for your early years better in hindsight, what would those things be?
Donna Vekic: Yes, I had some amazing results when I was young. I was in the top 100 at the age of 16 and I put a lot of expectations and pressure on myself thinking I would keep climbing the rankings no matter what.
It turned out that wasn't the case at all, and I still have to improve a lot. I have to keep working as a player on the court but also to mature as a person on and off the court.
It took years and time to do that, and I still feel like there is a lot of room for improvement. It is easy to say now that I would change something, but it's not possible to look at this in that way. You always try to make the best decisions in the given moment.
Sportskeeda: You are still very young at just 24, but you have been around on the tour for quite a few years now. Do you feel as fresh and motivated at this stage in your career as you did when you were just starting out?
Donna Vekic: I feel more motivated now than I did when I was young. I've had a lot more success and I enjoy being on tour a lot more. I know what I have to do on the court and off the court in order to have success. Therefore, that really gives me motivation.
Sportskeeda: You come from a family with a rich sporting background. Did it help with sports being always around as a kid, particularly with respect to preparing for life as a professional tennis player?
Donna Vekic: It helps to have a family that is involved in sport. I was very energetic as a child, and my family had to engage me in some sport. I started with gymnastics and later moved on to tennis. It was always great having the whole family involved.
Sportskeeda: You have been working with Sam Sumyk as your coach since last year. Can you tell us how your partnership is going, and what elements of your game he has helped you the most with?
Donna Vekic: I’ve been working with Sam for the last couple of months and I am happy with the work we have done so far. We did amazing work in the off-season and I played very well in Australia. Unfortunately this injury stopped us a little bit, but I’m really looking forward to working with him and getting back on the court.
I think Sam is an amazing coach and I (have) definitely improved a lot, but I believe there is a lot more to improve for sure. It is not just one part, we have been working on everything, but mostly to get out of my comfort zone, to be more aggressive, and to take charge in points.
Sportskeeda: Who were your role models in tennis while growing up? Any major influences outside the sport in your early years, or even currently?
Donna Vekic: I didn’t really have a specific role model while growing up. I looked up to Chris Evert, but I was enjoying any tennis match that I could catch on TV, even men's. I was watching (tennis) all day long and wished to be there one day at the big events.
Sportskeeda: What's your single biggest goal in tennis?
Donna Vekic: I think my biggest goal in tennis is to win a Grand Slam. Until a couple of years ago, I kept saying I want to be World No. 1 and that was my main goal. But through the years, I have decided that my priority is to win a Grand Slam, and then hopefully being No. 1 will happen one day.
Sportskeeda: In tennis, a lot of emphasis is put on Grand Slams and the number of Major titles won. Several players in the past have also been criticized for achieving a high ranking (like say No. 1 or No. 2) without a Slam trophy.
Do you think Slam count is an unfair yardstick to measure the success of a tennis pro's career?
Donna Vekic: I think if you have a ranking of No. 1 or No. 2, you are a pretty amazing tennis player. I don’t think you are 'not good enough' if you are No. 1 or No. 2 without winning a Slam. That said, to win a Grand Slam is definitely the biggest goal for everyone in my opinion.
It is always going to be a debate about what is more important or more valuable. But I think if you are No. 1 or No. 2, you have to play amazing tennis and be consistent throughout the whole year.
Sportskeeda: How important are the Olympics later this year to you, given that Croatia started competing at the Games as an independent country for the first time only in 1992?
Donna Vekic: The Olympic Games are really important for me and I’m looking forward to playing there this year. I was really upset when they canceled it last year. I’m excited to play for my country and excited to have the whole Olympic experience and hopefully get the medal.
I think I will play in all three disciplines (singles, doubles and mixed doubles) so I’m really looking forward to it!
Sportskeeda: You are part of the WTA Player Council. There has been some criticism of the WTA with regards to the cancellation of events since the tour resumed. Given that you have a behind-the-scenes look, how do you feel the WTA has managed the current crisis?
Donna Vekic: I have been on the WTA Player Council for the last two years and it is definitely an interesting experience to see how everything works behind the scenes. I can tell you that it’s not easy, especially last year during the break caused by COVID-19.
Sometimes, we had calls a few times a week about how to get the tour back on track as soon as possible. I know that some people are unhappy with how things are going, but it is such an incredibly tough situation and I think we are lucky that we are playing at all and that tournaments are happening.
Someone is always going to be unhappy, and it is very tough to make the situation fair for everyone. We always go with decisions that are fair to most of the players.
Sportskeeda: Are you a fan of social media? What do you most like about it?
Donna Vekic: I enjoy social media from time to time. I like Instagram and Twitter and I like to post mostly off-court stuff to show my fans what I do in my life outside of tennis.
Of course, there is a lot of content related to tennis such as training and exercises, but I like to show a different side to my life. The one that not everyone sees, the things that are somewhat behind the scenes.
Sportskeeda: How do you deal with online criticism from fans and the general public after a loss?
Donna Vekic: It is never easy dealing with criticism and bad comments after a loss, but I try not to pay too much attention to it. I have always had good support from my fans, even when I lose and face tough moments.
Sportskeeda: ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi recently revealed in an interview that a new 'T-7' working group with the WTA, ITF and the four Grand Slams had been set up. What are the things you would like this group to work on a priority basis?
Donna Vekic: I think this group (T-7) should work on raising the prize money in order to help the lower-ranked players. We have a lot of issues at the moment; there's not a lot of tournaments, and I hope that we will soon come back to the number of the events that we used to have before the pandemic.
For more on Donna Vekic, you can follow her on Instagram here.
