Donna Vekic had two Grand Slam champions in mind when asked about other players who could follow in Serena Williams’ footsteps.
Vekic has been competing at the Queen’s Club Championships, where Williams played doubles with Victoria Mboko and won her first match in nearly four years after returning to tennis.
The Croatian was not expecting to be involved in the main draw after losing in qualifying, but after receiving a lifeline as a lucky loser, Vekic has won four consecutive matches.
After reaching the Queen’s final, Vekic was asked if there were any other Grand Slam champions she would like to see make a comeback.
Donna Vekic names Chris Evert and Pam Shriver as players she would want to come out of retirement
Vekic beat Katie Boulter 6-1, 6-3 to reach the final of Queen’s, and in her post-match press conference she was asked which player she would like to see come out of retirement.
She responded by naming Chris Evert, with Vekic training at the 18-time Grand Slam champion’s academy during her teenage years, and she was also coached by her brother, John Evert.
Vekic also suggested Pam Shriver, who is another former coach of hers and helped her reach the semi-finals of Wimbledon in 2024.
“Maybe Chrissie Evert,” Vekic responded in her post-match press conference at Queen’s.
Vekic added, “She’s always been a bit of a mentor to me before — I would love to see Pam Shriver, as well. That would be great (smiling).”
Shriver is a 22-time Grand Slam doubles champion, and Vekic was then asked if she would like to play doubles with her former coach.
“Oh, I would, but I don’t think she’d like to be playing with me (smiling),” Vekic answered. “She always says, ‘Oh, I want to see you play more doubles’. I’m, like, Yeah, maybe in another lifetime.
You can bring one tennis legend out of retirement. Who do you pick and why?
Where will Donna Vekic be ranked after Queen’s this year?
Vekic has a career-high ranking of world number 17, but she was the number 76 coming into Queen’s this year after a challenging past 12 months.
However, Vekic is now confirmed to climb back up the rankings after reaching the final of the WTA 500 tournament in London.
After reaching the Queen’s final, Vekic is forecast to reach world number 44 in the live rankings.
Vekic could climb even higher if she beats Emma Raducanu in the Queen’s final, which would enable her to rise up to world number 32.
This would be a huge boost for Vekic, as it would give her an opportunity to be seeded for Wimbledon this year.
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