A few years ago Ana Konjuh was tipped to be the next superstar of women’s tennis after having achieved so much as a young age.
It all started in 2013 when she won two junior Grand Slam titles before her 16th birthday. Following on from that she started to make a name for herself on the WTA Tour with a win over top 20 player Roberta Vinci in her first tournament of 2014. Racing up the ranks Konjuh eventually broke into the world’s top 20 and had a WTA title to her name by the age of 20. However, the breakthrough at a young age came at a cost.
Still only 23, Konjuh has undergone four elbow surgeries after admitting when she was younger she used to play through the pain. Her latest comeback started last September when she won a $25,000 tournament in Zagreb in what was her first taste of competitive tennis in almost 19 months. Building her way back on once again, she continued playing on the ITF Tour, as well as the qualifying draws for WTA events.
Now ranked 338th in the world Konjuh received a wildcard into the Miami Open where she has reminded the Tour of the talent she processes. After knocking out Madison Keys in straight sets in the second round, she stunned French Open champion Iga Swiatek 6-4, 2-6, 6-2, on Saturday.
“I’m really happy to be back. It’s been frustrating the past couple of years, just having been through all these surgeries and comebacks and just never getting it right,” Konjuh said following the win.
“I just appreciate things much more right now. When you are just hitting the ball and there is a possibility that you might never play again or that you might never be on this level, you just kind of put things in perspective. It means a lot to me right now.”
In total the Croat has missed roughly three years of the Tour due to her surgeries. She could be forgiven to just walk away from the sport due to the setbacks but Konjuh says she is driven to continue playing due to her love for the sport.
“Those key moments where you’re sick of everything and you’re just questioning yourself like should I go back and is it worth it and whatnot, I just remember why I started playing this sport and why I love it so much and just the feeling that I had when I was in the top and having these great results and what it meant to me,” she explained.
Konjuh’s section of the Miami Open draw has opened up following the withdrawal of Simona Halep due to a shoulder injury. Instead, she will next play Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova who she played before back in 2016 on Grass at the Mallorca Open.
“That saying “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” is kind of true,” said Konjuh.
“Having my coach with me, he’s just trying to produce this new level of my game, not being as offensive but keeping it but also being smart about it and not going for the killer shots at the moments that are not there for.”
The fourth round meeting between Konjuh and Sevastova will take place on Monday.
