"Didn't have any energy, any motivation to keep pushing": Donna Vekic reflects on 'tough moment' of nearly quitting tennis after reaching Wimbledon SF

After advancing to the semifinal of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, Donna Vekic took a moment to reflect on a 'tough moment' in her career when she had considered quitting tennis. This year, the Croat reaching the final four at the grasscourt tournament marked her best performance at a Grand Slam event.

Vekic recently made an impressive comeback to defeat qualifier Lulu Sun 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 in two hours and eight minutes to secure her spot in the las four. This win also made her the second Croatian woman to reach the semifinals at SW19 since Mirjana Lucic achieved the same feat 25 years ago in 1999.

During a press conference following her win over Sun, Donna Vekic opened up about how she almost quit playing tennis on multiple occasions, particularly after undergoing knee surgery. She revealed that the most recent instance where she contemplated leaving the sport was just before the start of the 2024 French Open due to burnout.

"There were a couple of times in my career that I didn't want to play tennis anymore and that it was after my surgeries. But actually there was one recent one, it was actually the Thursday before Roland Garros this year that we had scheduled practice. I arrived at the club and I told Nick [Nikola Horvat], "Listen, I want to pull out of the French Open. I want to go home,'" Donna Vekic said [at 7:33].

Vekic admitted that she felt drained of energy and also lacked the motivation to continue "practicing" and "pushing" herself. The Croat expressed that she had started feeling like she had given her all to tennis without seeing the desired results, which she describing as a "tough moment" in her life.

Donna Vekic also revealed that losing in the third round of the French Open to Olga Danilovic was "painful" yet it had motivated her again to keep working and to keep pushing.

"I wanted to take a longer break because I didn't have any energy, any motivation to keep practicing, keep pushing because I felt like the last couple of months I've given everything for tennis and I wasn't getting the results that I kind of expected. So it was a very very tough moment. But they were all there for me. The loss in Paris was so painful but it motivated me again to keep working, to keep pushing," she added [8:03].

The World No. 37 said that fortunes can quickly change in tennis. She recalled how despite her first round loss at the 2024 Italian Open, she has currently found herself in the semifinals of the Wimbledon Championships.

"It's crazy how in tennis things can turn so fast. One of my best friends who's here and who was with me in Rome and I was talking to her before the match and I was like, 'Do you remember Rome after the match?' and she was like, 'Yeah, and now you're in the quarterfinals.' Now I'm in the semi-finals. So I think not just in tennis, but in life, things can turn pretty fast," Donna Vekic said [8:50].

Donna Vekic will face Jasmine Paolini in Wimbledon 2024 SF

Donna Vekic

Donna Vekic will go up against the seventh seed Jasmine Paolini in the semifinals of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships.

Vekic defeated the likes of Wang Xinyu, Erika Andreeva, Dayana Yastremska, and Paula Badosa in the first four rounds. She then triumphed over Lulu Sun in the quarterfinals to earn her spot in the semifinals.

Meanwhile, Paolini defeated Sara Sorribes Tormo and Greet Minnen in the first and second rounds, respectively. She then defeated Bianca Andreescu in the third round and 12th seed Madison Keys in the fourth to move to the quarterfinals.

In the last eight the World No. 7 overcame 19th seed Emma Navarro to secure her place in the semifinals where she will face off against Vekic.

Donna Vekic and Jasmine Paolini have faced each other three times on the WTA Tour with the Italian winning two of those encounters. Their most recent match-up was at the 2023 Canadian Open which Paolini won 7-6, 6-2.