January 32, 2023 - Croatian tennis player Donna Vekic advanced to the quarterfinal of the Australian Open after defeating the 17-year-old Czech Linda Fruhvirtova in the fourth round with 6:2, 1:6, 6:3 after two hours and seven minutes of play.

As Index writes, Donna Vekic played the first set brilliantly against the young Czech, hitting winners from all positions, but in the second part of the game, there was a big drop in the game of this 26-year-old Osijek player.

She lined up with unforced errors, so the third set decided the winner. Before the final set, Vekic went to the dressing room and took almost ten minutes of rest, which had a positive effect. For Vekic, this is her second entry into the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament after the US Open in 2019.

Her opponent will be fifth seed Arina Sabalenka, who knocked out Olympic winner Belinda Bencic 7:5, 6:2 in the fourth round. Vekic and Sabalenka have played six times so far, with the Croatian tennis player winning five times.

They met in the quarterfinals of San Diego (2022), at the Olympic Games (2021), in the semifinals of San Jose (2019), in the second round of Cincinnati (2017), and the first round of St. Petersburg (2016), and in the semifinals of the same tournament (2017).

"This is the first time I feel like I can win a Grand Slam"

Vekic knocked out Oksana Selehmetova, Ljudmila Samsonova, Nuria Parrizas-Diaz, and Linda Fruhvirtov on her way to her biggest success at the first Grand Slam of the season. Here is what Donna Vekic stated before the match with the Czech player:

"Everything started to fall into place at the end of last year. I played really well after the US Open; I improved a lot in Thailand and San Diego, where many wins inspired a lot of confidence. I saw that I could play at the top level again. After the surgery, it took me a year to get back to that level, and I'm glad it continues at the beginning of 2023."

"Perhaps because of all the difficulties I had with injuries, I now appreciate it more when I have the opportunity to play, especially in the biggest stadiums and tournaments. Of course, it's even better if I win; I have a clear goal in my head, tennis fulfills me, and I'm completely dedicated to achieving that goal," said Donna Vekic, then explained what that goal was.

"Every tennis player's goal is to win the Grand Slam, but the difference is that for the first time in my life, I believe I can do it," concluded the currently 64^th player in the WTA ranking. The best ranking in her career was 19. She won three singles tournaments, where she earned almost 5.7 million dollars.

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As Morski/Andreja Dodig writes on the 21st of July, 2020, a group of recreationists and sports lovers gathered back at the beginning of May this year with the idea of ​​founding a tennis club and a tennis school on Lastovo.

Krešimir Dodig, the individual who first came up with this idea, thanks to his recreational tennis experience and acquaintances, collected a donation from the "Oroslavje" tennis club in the form of basic equipment (rackets, balls, nets).

The existing concrete playground located next to the pitch belonging to the "Omladinac" Lastovo football club was arranged and put to use with the help of a monetary donation from the aforementioned football club and with the great efforts of the local population who organised and arranged everything independently. Assistance and support was also provided by local institutions of the Municipality of Lastovo, the Tourist Board of the Municipality of Lastovo, the Lastovo Islands Nature Park and numerous local hospitality facilities.

Tennis is an extremely fun and social sport that can be played by all generations so this initiative intends to bring together interested individuals of all ages. The idea was met with a great response among the locals and visitors to Lastovo, with the emphasis of the initiative placed on the fact that primary school children (aged 7-14 years) are given the opportunity to attend tennis school for free. The school has been run by two licensed tennis coaches since July the 8th (Robi Jankovič and Gregor Ficko) with the help of two assistants (Jakob Jankovič and Matija Dodig), and other members of the club have been attending it since the beginning of the school on July the 20th.

At the very beginning of the operation of this Lastovo tennis school, 22 children were present, but by the date of this text, the number of children increased to 43, which means that as many as 86 percent of the children living on Lastovo are involved in this commendable sports initiative.

After the first phase, a presentation training for parents was held on July the 16th, where trainers presented learning methods, a programme of work in athletic, mental, technical and tactical education, and the children presented their acquired skills and knowledge to their parents.

Throughout the work of the tennis school for children, the coaches train local potential coaches who prepare for the continuation of the Lastovo tennis school after the end of this three-week summer camp. The wish of the initiators is that all members of the club go through the tennis school, and that playing tennis provides them pleasure.

Considering the position and location of the existing court, the possibilities of its expansion, the indescribably good microclimate for playing tennis and the existing infrastructure, projects for the formation of an entire tennis camp are also planned.

In addition to the development of physical and mental abilities, tennis has a social, fun character and can significantly enrich life on the island as well as the tourist offer of Lastovo. Islanders and local institutions have already recognised the potential and importance of this project, which can mean a lot for the future of their children, the population, as well as visitors.

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June 3, 2019 - First class tennis returns to Brač with the 4th edition of the WTA Croatia Bol Open, which will run from June 3 to 9, 2019. Before Bol fully transforms into a haven for some of the world’s best up and coming female tennis players, TCN met with organizer Feliks Lukas about what we can expect at this year’s edition. 

We return to Bol this year for the 4th edition of the WTA Croatia Bol Open. What can we expect this year?

We try really hard every year to organize the tournament and make it better than it was in the previous year. This year I'm absolutely satisfied, because in sports terms, we have the best list of players to date, and as far as entertainment goes, we secured performances by big stars, so that our visitors can experience the perfect combination of the sun, sea, top-level tennis and entertainment when they come to the WTA Croatia Bol Open. 

How is this year’s tournament different than the last editions?

Like I said, the list of the players is the best yet, and we're very proud of that. The WTA Croatia Bol Open is becoming a matter of prestige; the players themselves are doing excellent marketing for us when talking to one another, they share their positive experiences from Bol and they want to participate in the tournament, and Bol is often a springboard for the girls who are working on getting into the Top 100 in the world. A lot of effort goes into organizing this tournament, and I'm extremely glad we managed to build an excellent image in the tennis world. 

As the biggest novelty for this year, I'd like to highlight that we'll start having nighttime matches, which will attract more viewers because it was often impossible to follow the matches in the strong June sun. Matches on the day of the first round will be played at 8:30 pm on the Central Court and Sunday's finale will start at 8:05 pm. 

You started the WTA Croatia Bol Open thanks to your passion for tennis and will to make something successful in a place like Croatia where so much seems impossible and is often an uphill battle. How has the tournament developed over the years? Are you happy with where it is now, or are you striving for more?

I don't believe it's easy to organize any sporting event, and especially an event of this scale, with all the rules and bylaws that the worldwide organization such as the WTA expects us to follow. The additional organizational challenge is the demanding process of negotiating with government institutions and advertisers. I'd be lying if I said we didn't have the support we need, I have to say that the Bol municipality, Croatian Tourist Board and Central State Office for Sport have recognized this project as an important sport, but also tourist event in Croatia. We also have numerous corporate sponsors, but it's still difficult to complete the financial package. It's a struggle that lasts all the way to April, sometimes even May, so we only have a month to organize the tournament, which is not enough time. Still, our tournament gets better each year, and I'm not giving up. I am still lead by a lot of enthusiasm, and the biggest motive for me are the positive experiences, first by the players, but also by the visitors. 

Once again, you’ve managed an impressive list of players for the 4th edition. Who is the most exciting up-and-coming talent to play in Bol this June?

Although she is not seeded, a serious contender for the title is Timea Bacsinszky. She was a top-ten player several years ago, but an injury stopped her and now she's making a come-back. I'd love to highlight Kaia Kanepi and Siegemund, who used to be top 15 and top 30 players. All three of the winners of the WTA Croatia Bol Open – Mandy Minella, Aleksandra Krunić and Tamara Zidanšek are also going to be at the tournament this year. 

Which of Croatia’s tennis representatives should we look out for on the courts in Bol this June?   

One of the aggravating factors for us is most certainly the week in which the tournament is played, which overlaps with the second week of Roland Garros, and no matter what, we always want our players to stay on the courts in Paris for as long as possible. This year we invited Tena Lukas, after she took full advantage of her invitation last year when she made it to the semi-finals with amazing support from the stands. Jana Fett, a very promising player who has the strength and quality required for a much better ranking than the one she has now.

 You’ve once again managed to couple excellent entertainment with tennis - can you tell us about the events we can look forward to in addition to the tennis this time around?  

Entertainment starts on Friday, June 7th, when our visitors will be able to enjoy the evening of klapa music, a concert by Klapa Šufit and Cambi. On June 8th, the star of the Saturday night in Bol will be Niki Belucci, who is performing at the Varadero Club. The finale of the tournament on Sunday starts at 8:05 pm and the fun at the Central Court will start an hour earlier when Nina Badrić will perform live for the WTA Croatia Bol Open crowd. The closing ceremony of the tournament will also be more lavish, as Lola Astanova, one of the world's best pianists will perform. She has intrigued the world, both with her talent and her attractive appearance. 

• How has the support for the tournament been this year? From Bol and Bluesun to HTZ and sponsors?  

I am extremely grateful to all our sponsors for their support. I'd especially like to highlight the Bol Municipality and its head, Tihomir Marinović, as well as the Bol Tourist Board who have been alongside us this entire time. Also, without the great support by the Bluesun group and Mr. Jako Andabaka, this tournament would not be possible. This year we received strong support by Central State Office for Sport, and, just like in previous years, Croatian Tourist Board. There are several sponsors from the business sector, Kraš, Atlantic Group, Jadrolinija, T-HT, HEP – and I'd like to thank all of them. The tournament keeps growing every year, but we need to make the next step in terms of finances and sponsors, as that would increase the quality of the tournament in the end. We still don't have the title sponsor, which would allow for a bigger sense of security. 

So, can we expect the ‘25th edition’ of WTA Croatia Bol Open in the future? Or do you have plans to create other successful sporting events on the horizon?  

We will keep up our efforts to make this the strongest regional sports event, and there are realistic chances that we'll be able to get the tournament to a higher level. WTA is prepared to support us as much as possible, so all we need to do is find strong sponsors who would also support us in that effort. 

For tickets to the WTA Croatia Bol Open, visit here. 

To learn more about Feliks Lukas, you can check out our interview with him last year ahead of the 3rd edition of the tournament. 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

May 31, 2019 - The WTA Croatia Bol Open will be held from June 3 to 9, 2019.

Roger Federer needed the help of a sports psychologist to find his composure on-court before going on to win 20 Grand Slams. Simona Halep sought help and finally won her first Grand Slam. Andy Murray did the same and became a three-time Grand Slam Champion and world number one. Countless other players like Fabio Fognini, Carla Suarez Navarro, and Dominika Cibulkova have also spoken about the importance of working with professionals to improve their mental game. The United States Tennis Association even created a Sports Psychology division in order to improve player development from a young age. Training the mind in tennis has become as important as physical and technical training.

Join the organizers of the WTA Croatia Bol Open for a tennis mentality coaching session taught by world-renowned tennis coach and president of the Global Professional Tennis Coach Association (GPTCA) and International Sport Mental Coaching Association (ISMCA) Alberto Castellani. Known as the “mental maestro,” Castellani understands the evolving role and importance of quality tennis coaches and mental fitness, and how integral they are to a player’s success at every level of the game.

On Sunday, June 9, 2019, world-renowned tennis coach and president of the Global Professional Tennis Coach Association (GPTCA) and International Sport Mental Coaching Association (ISMCA) Alberto Castellani will host a tennis mentality-coaching seminar as part of the WTA Croatia Bol Open tennis tournament program.

Castellani, known as the “Mental Maestro,” plans to share his knowledge and wisdom of mentality coaching from a lifetime spent working in tennis, with less experienced coaches working with younger or up and coming players. The seminar is organized in partnership with Feliks Lukas, Tournament Director of the WTA 125K Series event in Bol.

Attendance is free. Participants will receive a course certificate of completion from the ISMCA along with a free ticket to the doubles and singles finals taking place on-site following the seminar. To attend the event, contact Tournament Organization, via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

You can find the full program for the seminar here. 

About Alberto Castellani

President of the World Organization of Professional Tennis Trainers Alberto Castellani has been a full-time professor at the University of Perugia Faculty of Kinesiology for 15 years where he teaches "Theories and Techniques of Teaching in Individual Sports”. Among other things, Castellani is an international ATP trainer with a diploma in tanning coaching at the State School for the educators in Rome, which operates under the Italian Tennis Federation (ITF) and is a member of the "Professional Tennis Association", the most relevant international organization for professional tennis coaches.

In the last 30 years, he has trained numerous ATP Top 100 players, including: Marc Rosset (career ATP #9), Janko Tipsarevic (career high ATP #8), Ivo Karlovic (career high ATP #14), Hicham Arazi (career high ATP #22), Karim Alami (career high ATP #25), Adrian Voinea (career high: ATP #36), Rainer Schuettler and many others.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.