Aleksandar Vukic is a name that may still be unknown to a large part of the tennis public. At 27, he has rarely been seen in big draws or final rounds of ATP tournaments, but his path has been far from conventional. Now, the Australian enjoys after being about to leave it.
The roads to reach the elite of world tennis are rarely without bumps. The moments of little hope and of not seeing the light at the end of the tunnel have been present in, even, a good part of the great legends in the history of this sport. Imagine, then, if you are approaching your supposed maturity as a player (25 years old) and the top-50 is still far away for you, with the Challenger circuit being your main alternative. in frustration, Aleksandar Vukic He decided to rely on his closest circle to get up and drive away, once and for all, the voices in his head that asked him to retire. Today, she is eighth finalist of the ATP Toronto 2023you have entered for the first time top-50 and it begins to position itself as one of the names to take into account for the next US Open.
His progression and evolution this year has been absolutely amazing: we are talking about a guy who back in early February was out of the top-200. Now, Vukic has ensured leaving Canada among the 50 best in the world, a deserved reward for his work, effort and ability to adapt to the circumstances and injuries that have surrounded his career. Product of the University of Illinois, which delayed his arrival at professionalism, the Australian failed to make the jump to the ATP circuit immediately despite having some sporadic appearances. It was there when, last year, a elbow injury put him out of action for six months. A period in which he came to rethink his aspirations and dreams, thinking of leaving tennis. Of course, his family had other plans.
THE CHARACTER OF A WAR REFUGEE
Aleksandar’s family knows firsthand what it means to go down in the mud, fight when there are few resources and never give up. His parents were living in Sarajevo, Bosnia, when the bloody Balkan War. Vlad was born there, his older brother, who already suffered from asthma when the bombs began to fly over his house. Before the situation worsened, the family decided emigrate to Australiaa new country to which they arrived with barely 1,000$ in their pockets. Vukic himself was born there, while Rad and Ljiljana, his parents, became computer engineers, surviving “from absolute nothingness”. A story of overcoming that has forged Vukic’s character, as his coach at the University of Illinois tells ATP, Brad Dancerwho has practically become his mentor and one of his greatest supports in moments of darkness.
“They went to Australia when they had nothing, they made themselves. I think Vuki has that same determination and courage that his parents showed at that time, which is great. His father is a very high-strung person, I love seeing a father like that. I always joke with him, every time Vukic plays a tight game, I tell him that he is doing it to torture him (laughs). They have been a huge influence in his life, both his father’s passion and the calmer character of his mother”says Brad, who defines Vukic as a “fierce competitor” On the court, although off it, he makes it clear that his greatest qualities are his “kindness and empathy”.
The summer has been a confirmation that tennis always existed. Vukic reached his first ATP final in Atlanta, leaving names like Nishioka, Eubanks or Humbert along the way and yielding to Taylor Fritz; it was the springboard he needed before signing his best performance in a Masters 1000. Toronto has been a second chance that he has not been slow to take advantage of: he entered as Lucky Loser after losing in the previous one against Diego Schwartzman, but he is already in the round of 16 after beating Coric or Korda. His forehand is a real missile, with spectacular acceleration and a lot of topspin, while his backhand has become a guaranteed blow over time. Also, his serve is becoming more reliable, making Aleksandar a very difficult player to take down. Now the greatest opportunity of his life is coming: Gael Monfils separates him from his first quarterfinals in a tournament of this category. Whatever happens, Vukic will always be able to say that he is already top-50…following the example of his parents, creating their own opportunities when it seems that the easiest thing to do is throw in the towel.
2023-08-10 12:54:59
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